


Cutting Flowers

by LoneWulffe



Series: Rounded with a Sleep [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alien Culture, Alien Mythology/Religion, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Minor Original Character(s), Past Lives, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-09-30 03:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 30,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20439746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoneWulffe/pseuds/LoneWulffe
Summary: [Companion fic to the Paradise in a Dream series]The stories say that after fighting for three days and three nights, Vell Or asked Lind-Rel to be his mate during a rare lull in their battle.They say that Lind-Rel, aware that the mate Yuda had supposedly chosen for her was someone who was equal to her in every way, accepted readily.The truth, as always, is a little more complicated.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks goes to my best friend and pseudo-beta Crimson as always.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introductions are made.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's that little surprise fic I promised at the end of Arc 3!
> 
> This is probably only going to be read by like a handful of people but the idea got planted in my head and the only way to get it out was write it so... enjoy?

_“You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep Spring from coming.” – Pablo Neruda_

* * *

The retinue arrived at the outskirts of the village two days after the scouts had first spotted them just as had been predicted. Neither too large to be just simple messengers nor too small to be a war party, it was led by a man who sat atop his black drake with his back straight and his head held high.

Lind-Rel loathed him the moment she laid eyes on him.

Impossibly, she loathed him even more when he broke away from his retinue to approach her with a smile that she presumed was meant to charm her. “Hail,” he called out, his right hand raised in greeting while his left hand maintained a loose grip on his drake's reins. “We mean no ill will.”

“And I am sure your weapons are merely ornaments,” she replied derisively. At her sides, the warriors she had brought with her to greet their unwanted guests stood on guard, waiting for any kind of signal from her.

Like her readily apparent scorn, the blades pointed his way did not faze him in the slightest. In fact, his smile only broadened instead as he dismounted and continued approaching on foot. Up close, she could see that his eyes were not the shade of dark brown his hair was like she had initially thought but rather the colour of unrefined caesit ore – uncommon but otherwise insignificant. “I can see I have failed to convince you... although I suppose I find your position completely understandable,” he added with a sigh that seemed to be half for show. “Perhaps I can have an audience with your tribe leader so that I may explain our presence at length?”

His indirect insult made her bristle, and the next time she spoke it was through gritted teeth. “The one you wish to speak to is me. Or are you perhaps suggesting that I do not appear capable of shouldering such a responsibility?”

That infuriating smile of his made its return, further testing her already worn patience. She wanted him gone – the sooner, the better – but it seemed her prayers would not be answered today. “It is nothing of the sort, I assure you. I presumed as much but did not wish to voice it in case I was mistaken as I do not believe that would have worked in my favour.”

A sly escape out of a delicate situation. She might have been impressed if it had been anyone else.

Oblivious to her ever-growing contempt, he gestured in the direction of his retinue where she noticed two men in particular staring at her rather intently – one an old man with white hair and the other a warrior who was roughly the same age as their leader. “May we continue our discussion in more comfortable settings? I would appreciate the opportunity to let my men rest after such a long journey.”

If not for the rules of hospitality that were followed by all of Sard's tribes save for the most barbaric, she thought she would have liked to refuse his request. Politely, of course. “Very well. I will instruct my people to provide your men with water and food while we speak. This way; we have a tent we use for gatherings during harsh weather that should be adequate for our needs.”

He bowed his head, his fist pressed against his heart. “Your generosity is most welcome. If it is not too much trouble, I would also like to humbly ask for my two trusted advisors to be allowed to be present during our discussion.”

Request after request. If not for his manners, sincere or otherwise, she could have used it as an excuse to have him and his retinue chased off post-haste. “I see no reason to refuse. They may come as well.”

Unsurprisingly, it was the two men she had noticed watching her who joined them, and she took the opportunity presented by the lull as drinks were served to study them just as she knew they were studying her in turn. The warrior was easiest to read among the three, his brown eyes narrowed in suspicion under a fringe of sandy hair and his right hand clenched in a fist as if he was resisting the urge to reach for his sword. He could not make it any more obvious that he did not trust her or her people and was fully prepared to fight them to the death if they showed even the slightest sign of duplicity. On the other hand, the old man was relaxed, his unreadable green gaze sharp as it seemed to peer into her soul and his gnarled hands resting placidly around the cup of water that had been offered to him. Everything about him from the lines around his eyes to the faded patterns on his robes communicated a sense of unparalleled wisdom.

As if he represented the both of his companions simultaneously in equal measure, the man sitting directly across from her was completely at ease as he calmly waited for her permission to begin speaking. His smile and posture did not fool her, however; the way he moved, not to mention the well-defined muscles on his arms, told her that he was a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. He was no simple-minded brute either; it had been quick but she had not missed his visual assessment of the warriors she had assigned to keep watch over his men and the ones standing guard behind her presently. Needless to say, to underestimate him on any level would be the height of folly.

He was still smiling at her, almost as if he was aware of her thoughts. It was enough to remind her that the sooner she let him speak, the sooner she could dismiss him and be rid of him for good. “I am Lind-Rel.” She kept her introduction brief, unable to hide how much she wished for all this to come to a quick end. “Who are you and what business do you have in the land of the Zrelem tribe?”

“A beautiful name for a beautiful woman,” he remarked with complete sincerity before bowing his head. The compliment made her grit her teeth – did he really think such empty words would sway her? – and the touch of slyness in the curve of his lips that betrayed his bemusement upon noticing her reaction only irritated her more. “I am Vell Or of the Kirech tribe and I am here to propose an alliance.”

“An alliance?” she echoed, her annoyance momentarily replaced by confusion. “To what end?”

“I am glad you asked.” Although his smile remained in place, she could see the subtle shift in his eyes and posture that conveyed undeniable seriousness. “It is my intention to unite all the tribes of Sard under one rule – namely mine.”

Propriety was forgotten momentarily in the face of such absurdity, and she did nothing to stop the incredulous laugh that escaped her. Clearly she had been wrong to think that he was shrewd, much less sane. “You intend to rule all of Sard? _You?_”

“Yes.” Either he had failed to notice her scepticism – unlikely – or he had simply chosen to ignore it. “Thus far, over twenty other tribes have either chosen to give me their support of their own will or submitted to me after I defeated their leader in Dakkam Ur. Territory-wise, it would not be inaccurate to say that I currently rule all the lands that lie between the Canyon of Wer'n and the Mir'cson River.”

Surprise robbed her temporarily of speech. Perhaps she had been too hasty to revise her opinion of him if what he had just told her was true. “...And now your quest has brought you here,” she finally said in an effort to buy herself time to regain her footing in their conversation.

He nodded. “As I said before, I wish to forge an alliance between our tribes. It is not my intention to conquer my way to the throne if it can be helped; I have no desire to rule over a kingdom built on nothing but death and destruction.”

“Then what _is_ your goal?” she asked, genuinely intrigued for possibly the first time since his arrival. He was not the first to have expressed such lofty wishes nor would he be the last if he failed, after all; she herself had been forced to deal with far more challengers and encroachers upon her tribe's lands than she liked to not be aware that there were other parties who sought to be Sard's first king. This was, however, the first time she had encountered someone who not only wished for the least bloody path to that outcome but was also willing to stake his own life to achieve it through Dakkam Ur.

Unexpectedly, her question sparked something in those blue-grey eyes and he leaned forward slightly when he spoke again as if to impress upon her the weight of his next words. “Do you not think that our people deserve better than to perpetually be at war with one another? To constantly have to fear for their lives from bandits and warlords? To be forced to endure harsh times on their own when they could simply rely on others in their time of need without fear of exploitation? Think about it: a Sard where our people can live freely and happily as I am sure the gods intended for us to be when they first created us.”

An idealist. She did not know if it surprised her or not. “You speak well,” she responded evenly, “but your words are merely that: words. Suppose I accept your offer. Should you fall at any point especially before you achieve your goal, what then? Will I and my people have to acknowledge the one who defeated you in your place? What if they decide to slaughter us as an example to the other tribes that chose to support you or any potential challengers? You are asking me to entrust the fate of my people to you when you have given me little reason to do so. I am sorry, but I cannot gamble their lives so readily on something so liable to lead to their ruin.”

For the first time since he had arrived, his smile dimmed. Behind him, the warrior bristled as if offended on his leader's behalf while the old man maintained his calm composure. “I understand your concerns and do not deny their validity but is there nothing I can say or do to convince you to at least consider it even a little longer?”

“My mind would still be unchanged.” She made to get to her feet. “Now if you would please-”

“Then you leave me no choice.”

_What?_

She looked up again to find that his smile had now been completely replaced by a grim expression. Then, he reached for the dagger at his side, pointedly ignoring the commotion around them as her warriors and his lone one jumped to their feet with their weapons drawn and angry shouts spilling from their lips. “I, Vell Or, leader of the Kirech tribe invoke the sacred rite of Dakkam Ur – to meet with you in single combat before the gods.” He kept his gaze locked with hers, not blinking even once as he pulled out his dagger from its sheath and drove it point-down into the ground between them. “May the fate of my people rest on the fate of my life.”

All at once, the irritation and loathing that she had felt when she first saw him came rushing back to the surface with ten times its original potency. The audacity... The sheer _arrogance_... She suddenly found herself more than glad he had taken this step if only because it gave her the excuse to strike him down. “I accept your challenge,” she all but snarled.

“Excellent. Then we shall begin when you are ready.” Despite his words, he seemed genuinely regretful of the turn their conversation had taken.

It only stoked the rage burning in her. “I am more than ready now,” she snapped as she stood, enjoying the brief moment of her towering over him that their current positions had granted her.

Of course, that moment came to a swift end when he too got to his feet what with him being nearly a head taller, but he did not use it to his advantage in any way. “If you insist,” he replied, his tone unreadable. “Who is to be your second?”

She did not even need to signal before her cousin stepped forward to stand at her side. “The finest of my tribe's warriors and their leader, Xie Nol,” she introduced with a wave of her hand. “Yours?”

He gestured behind him, and she was wholly unsurprised when the rather hostile warrior who had joined their discussion stepped forward as well. Although the man had sheathed his sword, his angry scowl remained firmly in place. “Ben-Sul, second only to me on the battlefield.”

“Then it is settled.” Something like anticipation mixed with the cold fury consuming her as she took the lead and stepped outside of the tent, uncaring as to whether he followed.

Her abrupt emergence along with Xie Nol and the two outsiders – the old man whose name she still did not know seemed content to exit at his own pace – did not go unnoticed; as one, those among her people who had gathered just beyond the tent and his men snapped to attention. Even if they had no inkling as to the direction the conversation inside the tent had taken, they could sense the tension in the air.

“Our _honoured guest_-” she practically spat out the words, “-has invoked the sacred rite of Dakkam Ur.” Gasps of shock and anger rippled through the crowd while the outsiders visibly tensed. “We will be starting shortly so I would like everyone to please allow us the space we need.”

Her people obeyed immediately, shuffling back and away although they lingered at the edges of the clearing they had just created. Unsurprisingly, his men did the opposite and approached so that they too helped to form a loose barrier around the space. However, there were understandably noticeable gaps between them and those of her tribe unfortunate enough to be close to the outsiders. Both sides were waiting with bated breath, all too aware that the outcome of this duel would essentially determine their own fate as well. Meanwhile, the old man stood just at the entrance of the tent in which they had had their discussion, his posture relaxed and his expression unreadable.

Lind-Rel was not about to let her people down, and if keeping them safe under her leadership also granted her the pleasure of ridding herself of the nuisance standing in front of her now... Well, it would be a marked improvement of the day indeed.

Unaware of her thoughts – or perhaps not, considering the way he was studying her –, her challenger gave her a nod and she returned the gesture. At their wordless signal, both Xie Nol and the angry warrior stepped forward to meet each other in the middle and drew their swords before exchanging them. The duty of a second was crucial on more than one level, encapsulating not only the task of keeping and maintaining the sword their leader would use in the event of Dakkam Ur but also thoroughly inspecting the sword used by the other side so as to ensure that the blade hid no tricks. It was a responsibility that had been entrusted to them by Mordo himself when the god of combat first created the sacred rite and bestowed it upon the people of Sard.

Once they were satisfied, the swords were returned to their owners before being handed over to the two tribe leaders. Although this was the first time she had ever found herself engaged in the sacred duel, Lind-Rel was thankfully familiar enough with Xie Nol's sword to not feel ill at ease wielding the blade. Forged by the same smith, its weight and balance was close enough to her own that it required only the slightest of adjustments on her part to make up for the inconsistencies.

She would need it, she thought to herself, considering her opponent was by now relatively an expert in wielding the sword in his hand if his words earlier were to be believed.

A moment that stretched for an eternity within the span of a heartbeat passed where no one so much as breathed.

Then they both surged forward, their blades gleaming under the light of Rao as they clashed against each other again and again.

She neatly parried or dodged every single one of his strikes... and he did the same in turn with hers.

No matter how hard she swung her blade or how quickly she moved, he always managed to meet or evade her blows before immediately countering them. Likewise, she managed to see through his every attack and feint as easily as if he was telling her what he was about to do next.

It was like a perfectly coordinated dance where neither party gained the upper hand even for the briefest of moments.

The realisation only vexed her further and caused her to push herself even harder yet he still managed to match her strike for strike.

With every subsequent blow that failed to land, her frustration continued to grow until she reached her limit and put all of her strength into the next swing of her blade.

Both their blades sang as they sliced through the air before meeting in the middle... and then a sound not unlike crashing thunder filled her ears.

She stared in shock, frozen in place as her opponent stared back, a similar look of undisguised surprise on his face.

Gasps of astonishment rippled through the crowd when they realised what had transpired followed by unintelligible murmurs as everyone tried to come to terms with the reality before them.

The two blades had broken.

It was only then that she realised that Rao was already setting and she was breathing heavily in short sharp bursts. How long had they been fighting?

Movement in front of her dragged her attention back to the present and she automatically tensed, expecting her opponent to take advantage of the situation and make a surprise attack of some kind. However, he merely straightened, his pose relaxed as his inscrutable gaze darted between the broken sword in his hand and her. Unsure as to what to do, she too relaxed her stance but maintained her silence.

“Perhaps we should suspend our battle for today and resume tomorrow?” he suggested as he gestured towards her broken blade with his own. “It is clear that we cannot resume under these circumstances and another discussion must be had in order to determine how to proceed.”

“...I concur,” she replied simply. What else could she say? Their current situation was so unprecedented that she was unsure if there were even any obscure rules in place that could offer a solution.

He nodded and turned to hand the sword back to its owner who seemed to still be in shock over what had transpired. Lind-Rel thought she could hardly blame him considering she was almost certain that Xie Nol was in no better shape.

If she was being truly honest with herself, she still could not truly comprehend it even though she was at the very centre of it all.

They adjourned to the tent once again, furious whispers following them all the way, and she spoke only when spoken to as did he. It was not their place to be involved in the conversation, despite them being the tribe leaders; matters involving the sacred rites were the domain of the holy men and women who spoke on the gods' behalf. Although the Zrelem tribe worshipped only Yuda, that did not mean that its priestess was completely unaware of the ways of those who followed the other gods. As such, Sur Diel was more than capable of speaking to the old man whose name she now knew to be Tophar Keln as an equal.

Eventually the conversation came to a close with the mutual agreement to resume the duel at the light of dawn with both tribe leaders using their own swords. Having settled that, it was Lind-Rel's turn to speak to her own counterpart to discuss where he and his men would rest for the night. To his credit, he made no demands and accepted whatever she offered, going so far as to apologise for inconveniencing her and her people in light of their unexpected situation. Then they shared a simple meal of water, seasoned raztal meat and freshly baked ruem – the six of them in the same tent, civil as could be as if two of them had not recently tried to kill each other.

It was altogether so bizarre that she could not decide how to feel about everything.

Then she remembered that none of this would have happened if he had never arrived in the first place and went back to loathing his very existence.

As such, it was no surprise that she was fuming by the time she returned to her own tent for the night. The fact that she should be going to sleep so that she would be well-rested and ready for the continuation of their duel did not help; as it was, she was too agitated to even lie down and started pacing within the confines of her home. Xie Nol had taken it upon herself to watch their 'guests' throughout the night to ensure they did nothing suspicious, leaving Lind-Rel alone with her thoughts. (Whether that was a favour or a curse was yet to be determined.)

The sound of rustling made her stop in her tracks and she looked up to find none other than Sur Diel entering her tent, an uncharacteristically sombre expression on the priestess' usually serene face.

“What is it?” Lind-Rel asked without preamble, aware that the woman would not be standing before her at such a late hour without a good if alarming reason.

Instead of answering immediately, Sur Diel seemed to study her carefully first before speaking. “It is our guests. Their leader, to be more precise.”

All at once, Lind-Rel's concern was replaced by the irritation from before. “What is it that he wants?” By Yuda's name, if he so much as complained about a single thing...

“He has made no requests and has not so much as stepped outside of the tent we provided for him and his advisors,” Sur Diel was quick to correct her. “I am here because there is something you need to know.”

A wave of unease swept over Lind-Rel as she suddenly found herself afraid of what Sur Diel had to say next.

Sur Diel remained unnervingly impassive as she continued. “At your birth, I foresaw that the mate Yuda had chosen for you was someone who was your equal in every way.”

Lind-Rel stared, her mind unable – or perhaps unwilling – to comprehend the meaning behind Sur Diel's words. When it finally sank in, she was equal parts incredulous and livid. “You cannot be serious.”

A dispassionate look was Sur Diel's only response.

“_Him?!_” Lind-Rel exclaimed angrily as she pointed in the general direction of the tent housing their unwanted 'guests'. “_He is trying to KILL me so that he can take control of our people and our land!_”

“Only after you refused his offer of an alliance,” Sur Diel reminded her. “And it is not our place to question how Yuda chooses to enact her will.”

“I refuse to believe it,” Lind-Rel snarled defiantly, so consumed by rage that she did not care how disrespectful she was behaving towards the priestess. “Today was but a matter of chance on his part; he will not be so lucky tomorrow.”

“We will see.” Seemingly satisfied with having said her piece, Sur Diel departed, leaving Lind-Rel with nothing but her anger and thoughts she could not banish.

* * *

“For Rao's sake, Ben-Sul, stop apologising already.”

“But who else is to be blamed for today's catastrophe?!” Despite Vell Or's words, Ben-Sul was inconsolable as he remained prostrated before his future king. “You entrusted me with such an important task – something as simple as taking care of my sword – and I have failed you beyond comprehension! I do not deserve to be your second any longer!”

Vell Or rolled his eyes and sent a prayer to the entire Sardite pantheon for the patience he lacked to deal with the headache currently plaguing him. As much as he valued the man's loyalty and almost fanatical devotion, he found that Ben-Sul could sometimes be beyond insufferable. “No one could have known that your sword would break save perhaps the gods. Besides, hers broke as well and I am unhurt. It is an acceptable outcome in light of everything.” Ignoring Ben-Sul's continued wailing, he turned his attention to Tophar Keln who had not so much as made a single sound since they had retired to the tent that would be their lodgings for the night. “What are your thoughts on this, old man?”

“It is undeniably unprecedented,” the seer commented idly.

Moments like these made Vell Or wonder why he surrounded himself with people who seemed intent on driving him insane. “I was hoping for your personal opinion instead of the obvious, you senile relic.”

“Watch your tongue, boy,” Tophar Keln scolded although there was no real fire in his gravelly voice. “You would do well to remember not only my status but the fact that it was I who raised you since you were but five solar cycles old.”

“As you never fail to remind me every single time,” Vell Or muttered with another roll of his eyes. “Is that all you are going to say about the matter?”

The seer narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why does it sound as if you are actually hoping to hear something very specific from me instead of my actual views?”

“Age has made you paranoid, old man,” Vell Or replied although the way his gaze turned towards the general direction of their host's tent and his next words betrayed him. “It just seems a shame to have to kill her, do you not think so?”

The question caused Tophar Keln's eyes to widen imperceptibly but Ben-Sul's reaction was much more pronounced, his head snapping up to stare at Vell Or in undisguised shock and perhaps even a touch of horror. “My lord! Surely you cannot be thinking of... of... _letting her win_! _Of letting her KILL you!_”

“I have no intention of throwing myself on her blade, Ben-Sul,” Vell Or replied with an aggrieved sigh as he shot a glare at the warrior, “and you can rest assured that I remain dedicated to the goal that brought us here to begin with. I am merely expressing regret that it must end this way.”

“What exactly are you thinking, boy?” Tophar Keln asked with genuine if wary curiosity, detecting something in Vell Or's tone he could not place.

“Nothing.” The smile playing on Vell Or's face was unusually indecipherable. “Nothing at all.”

* * *

Lind-Rel strode forward feeling impossibly more irritated with the man facing her than she had been just yesterday. Sleep had eluded her and the food she had eaten a short while ago sat uncomfortably in her stomach. Most of all, Sur Diel's words continued to occupy her thoughts and the feeling of the priestess' gaze on her back did not help either.

In short, she was not in the best state of mind to be taking part in a duel to the death. Especially not one that would decide the fate of her people.

Meanwhile, her opponent seemed relaxed and was eyeing her with open concern. “You do not look well,” he observed, his voice soft enough to ensure that she would be the only one who would hear him.

His worry was already infuriating enough; that he was sincere about it only made it worse. “I am fine,” she answered tersely.

If he was offended by her harsh tone, he did not show it. “If you insist.” Their seconds approached, and he drew his sword before passing it to Xie Nol for inspection.

She mimicked his actions, pointedly ignoring the way his second would not stop glaring at her even as he accepted her sword. “I do.” (If Xie Nol overheard her reply and gave her a strange look for it, she ignored it.)

“That is good to hear.” He paused as their swords were handed back to them. “Shall we begin?”

“Yes.” She had to focus – focus on the impending battle and not... other matters.

Just like yesterday, there was a period where everyone present held their breath.

Then, just like yesterday, they lunged towards each other.

Immediately, she could tell that it was a mistake.

Her strikes, her footwork, her reactions... They would have been fine for the average warrior.

But not her. Not with what was at stake. And there was no way a warrior of his skill would have failed to notice her many mistakes.

This was it, she realised with a sense of dread and regret. This was the end. She would fall here – fall to this man's blade – and fail her people all because she had let Sur Diel's absurd interpretation of Yuda's will cloud her mind.

...Except he did not take advantage of any of her errors.

He had noticed, of that there was no doubt, but instead of triumph his expression was a mixture of curiosity and his concern from earlier.

If she did not know any better, she would have thought that he was holding back.

...Surely he was not...?

A commotion on the outskirts of the village caught everyone's attention, snapping her out of her thoughts in the process. All it took was a shared look and an unspoken understanding passed between her and him before they announced a temporary cessation of their duel. Then, as one, they ran towards the source of the noise, their attention focused solely on the well-being of their people for the moment.

It turned out to have been the right decision as the disturbance was revealed to be a rampaging Kaurius, a six-legged animal two men tall and five men wide that was capable of wiping out an unprepared village with little effort. It was only with the combined efforts of their warriors and possibly the grace of the gods that the vermilion-feathered beast was finally brought down without any casualties.

“I am glad.”

The random comment drew Lind-Rel's attention to her counterpart to find him studying her with a sincere smile on his face. “It is good that no one was seriously hurt,” she acknowledged, unsure as to what else he might be talking about. “...Thank you. For your assistance,” she continued haltingly.

The smile on his face gained a touch of wryness, although something told her it was not at her expense. Not really, at least. “You are welcome and yes, I too am glad none of our people suffered anything that will not heal in less than a lunar cycle. But that was not what I meant.”

“...What did you mean then?” she asked with slight wariness.

“You did not seem yourself earlier but now you do,” he explained simply. “Whatever the problem was, I am glad that it is no longer troubling you.”

She must have managed to muster up some kind of reply, she thought later after they had parted ways, because he had smiled and wished her a good night's rest. Another dose of bizarreness in an already bizarre situation. It kept her in such a daze that she barely tasted her meal, much less remembered how and when she made it to her tent.

“You were not yourself today.”

The unexpected statement caused Lind-Rel to jerk out of her reverie so violently that she instinctively reached for her sword. Only the realisation that it was Xie Nol stayed her hand at the last second but her relief was short-lived when she noticed the expression on the warrior's face. “...What?”

Impossibly, Xie Nol's already worried expression became more pronounced. “Earlier, during the duel... You were... not in top form.”

Of course Xie Nol would notice, Lind-Rel thought wearily to herself. “...I did not sleep well last night.” Which was not a lie... although it was not the complete truth either.

“I see.” A sigh that spoke of relief escaped Xie Nol as she brought a hand to scrub at her face. “I suppose it is a good thing that he did not seem to be in top form either then. If you had lost...”

The unfinished sentence failed to have its desired impact, what with the one before it having completely captured Lind-Rel's undivided attention. So Xie Nol had noticed the same thing but not attributed it to anything intentional. Had she imagined it after all?

“_You did not seem yourself earlier but now you do. Whatever the problem was, I am glad that it is no longer troubling you.”_

“-right?”

Once again, Lind-Rel found herself unceremoniously dragged out of her reverie to find Xie Nol standing in front of her with a hand outstretched. “I am fine.” A lie. She hardly ever lied, especially not to Xie Nol. “I just... need sleep.”

“If that is the case, then I will leave you to rest. Sleep well.” Despite her words, the crease in Xie Nol's brow made her lingering concern clear even as she took her leave.

It did not help ease Lind-Rel's mind at all. Not when his words echoed endlessly in her head.

Lost, she sent out a silent prayer to Yuda for a sign before she let troubled dreams claim her.

* * *

“You were holding back.”

Tophar Keln's accusation barely perturbed Vell Or who continued lying on his bed and did not so much as open even one of his eyes. “Was I?”

“Do not play coy with me, brat,” the seer all but snarled before turning his attention to the tent's only other occupant who had in contrast maintained his silence thus far. “Ben-Sul?”

“...I noticed the same thing,” Ben-Sul admitted reluctantly. “For whatever reason, she was not fighting as well as she had yesterday. You could have struck a killing blow numerous times but you did not.”

A lazy hum escaped Vell Or, but he spoke up before Tophar Keln could chastise him again. “It would have been a shame to have struck her down when she was not at her best, I thought.”

Silence reigned for an indefinite amount of time as the two men stared at their tribe leader, shock having robbed them of speech. “A _shame_?” the seer echoed with a mixture of perplexity and outrage as Ben-Sul began sputtering incoherently. “Explain yourself _now_, boy, and it had better be a good explanation or I will shake you until you see sense again.”

At once, Vell Or opened his eyes and sat up to meet Tophar Keln's furious gaze with his own steadfast one. There was, to the seer's consternation, what looked like a sheen of madness to those blue-grey orbs and yet somehow he knew that it was mostly his imagination. “Someone like her deserves that honour, do you not agree? To only be defeated because of a true difference in skill and not by a stroke of luck?”

“You have never said anything of the sort with any of your other opponents.” Tophar Keln narrowed his eyes as a thought struck him. “Please do not tell me that you are behaving this way simply because you are fighting _a woman_, however beautiful she might be.”

The corners of Vell Or's lips curved into a rather playful smile. “Well, I cannot deny that I think she might be Kara in mortal form...”

All the blood drained from Ben-Sul's face at the invocation of the goddess of beauty's name and he began moaning about blasphemy and divine wrath.

Paying no attention to the noise, Tophar Keln continued glaring at the young man who for all intents was his son in all but blood. “...You're deflecting.” The realisation came suddenly and caused his suspicions to resurface. “What are you planning, boy?”

Vell Or's smile turned cryptic. “I suppose you will all find out tomorrow,” was all he offered and said no more no matter how much he was pressed further on the matter.

* * *

There was something different about him today.

Lind-Rel did not know how she knew... and neither did she know which one bothered her more.

This time, he made no attempt to ask about her state of mind although she had a feeling it was only because her lethargy was all too evident on her face. While she did not know what to make of this either, she decided it was for the best as anything he seemed to say only served to further muddle her already troubled thoughts.

As they yet again prepared to fight for the third time in as many days, she found herself distantly wondering if they were going to do this for the rest of time.

Someone moved, and then their swords clashed once more.

He was being careful, she realised as the fight progressed – as if he was considering something and merely waiting for the right moment to take action. It would have been easy to presume that he was toying with her, lulling her into lowering her guard so that he could launch a surprise attack and finally kill her. But she knew better by now – somehow, even though they had only met not three days ago. (Had it only been three days? It felt like it had been so much longer.) What was he up to? She could only guess.. and that made her even more unsettled.

Suddenly he pulled back instead of stepping closer, causing her to momentarily lose her balance when her blade sliced through thin air where it had expected to find resistance.

For a brief second where she struggled to regain her footing and retreat herself, a small part of her still expected him to take the opportunity to end her life.

It never happened.

Instead, he straightened and sheathed his sword, leaving her staring stupefied at him with her own sword still pointed at him. Gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd as their spectators too were left wondering what was going to happen next.

None of them – save perhaps Sur Diel, she thought to herself much later – could have expected what followed.

“I, Vell Or, leader of the Kirech tribe hereby declare before the gods and all who are here today my wish to revoke the sacred rite of Dakkam Ur that I brought before Lind-Rel, leader of the Zrelem tribe.”

More gasps. This time, no one bothered to keep their voices down. And still she neither moved nor made a sound.

“Instead,” he continued, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips as he took in the expression on her face, whatever it might look like, “I would like to propose a new alliance.” He held his sword hand out towards her. “I, Vell Or, leader of the Kirech tribe humbly ask you, Lind-Rel, leader of the Zrelem tribe, to join me at my side... as my mate.”

Pandemonium.

That was the only way to describe what was happening around them right now.

To Lind-Rel, however, the noise that had erupted from the crowd the moment that last word had left his lips barely registered to her ears.

All she could hear was her own pounding heart.

All she could see was his outstretched hand.

It was as she was trying to think of how to respond that she remembered the last thought she had had before sleep had claimed her last night.

She had asked Yuda for a sign as to whether or not Sur Diel's interpretation of her prophecy was true.

There had been their swords breaking.

The sudden appearance of the rampaging Kaurius.

And now this.

Lind-Rel swallowed thickly as she felt the full weight of everyone's eyes on her.

As the direct descendant of Gwen Vald who had sworn to worship only Yuda, she more than anyone else in her tribe was bound to obey all of the goddess' wishes.

In light of everything, she found there was only one thing she could say.

“I accept.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they're married! ...Not.
> 
> Well, not yet anyway. You should know by now that I'd never make it this easy, lol. What happens next? We'll see...


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are formulated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You'd think Lind-Rel accepting Vell Or's proposal would solve things... so of course that's not what's going to happen. (laughs evilly)

“_Are you out of your mind?!_”

“Perhaps.” Vell Or's cheery demeanour was in complete contrast to Tophar Keln's livid expression. At the back of the tent, Ben-Sul let out a soft distressed moan from his prone position on his bed but remained mostly catatonic as he had been since the duel had come to its unusual end. “It worked out in the end though, did it not?”

The seer had to clench his hands to stop himself from throttling the man in front of him. “And what would you have done if she had refused? Or did you not consider that possibility?”

Instead of sobering, Vell Or maintained his good humour and merely shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose I would have suggested a regular alliance instead. And if that failed as well, invoke Dakkam Ur again and continue fighting her before suggesting an alliance again.”

“And you would have continued this for all eternity until she finally agreed?” Even as the question passed his lips, Tophar Keln knew the answer that he would receive. It only served to infuriate him even more. “You are risking everything – _everything!_ – you have achieved thus far and for what? What is it about this woman that has clouded your mind to the point of madness?”

“There is none like her.” Vell Or said it so simply as if it were fact instead of opinion. “Her beauty, her swordsmanship, her heart... I am certain that I could search all of Sard for the rest of my life and never find another who can match her in any way. When I become king and rule all of Sard, do you not think that only someone such as her should rule by my side as my queen? That the kingdom I build... that _we_ build together will be one that the gods will favour for centuries upon centuries? Besides,” he added as his expression suddenly became serious, “future mate or not, there is great immediate value in making her an ally as soon as possible instead of letting our fight continue any longer.”

Intrigued by the change in his ward's behaviour, Tophar Keln let his anger abate for the moment. “What value?”

Vell Or leaned forward, his gaze sharp and calculating. “You are aware as well as I that I am not the only one striving to become the first king of Sard and my rivals are gathering their strength as we speak. Time is of the essence and we are strangers in this land – more than we have ever been in this journey of ours. This village sits at the very fringes of all the detailed maps that we have; what lies beyond it is known to us only in the form of tales passed from travelling merchant to travelling merchant. We could use whatever knowledge it is that she possesses and if she can provide us with anything that will help for when we negotiate alliances with the other tribes in this part of Sard then all the better.”

“...It is good to hear that your illogical fixation on our host has not robbed you completely of the good sense I worked so hard and so long to beat into your head,” the seer muttered at long last. “Yet, anyway.”

Vell Or let out a hearty laugh at that. “You have such little faith in me as always, old man, but I promise this is not a decision that any of us will regret. Now, if you are quite done yelling at me, I think we should start planning our next move and perhaps seek the counsel of my future mate. Oh, and throw some water on Ben-Sul to wake him up before we begin; opinions about our gracious host aside, I do in fact value his input.”

* * *

Meanwhile, a not so dissimilar conversation was taking place in another tent.

“_Tell me you are not serious about this!_”

Lind-Rel wearily wondered if she should inform Xie Nol that she had said something to that effect the night that Sur Diel had informed her about the prophecy regarding the mate Yuda had chosen for her. As it was, the priestess seemed content to do nothing more than stand silently in her corner of the tent, her expression one of unreadable serenity. “I said I accepted, did I not?”

“That was a trick!” Xie Nol's eyes were wild like those of an unbroken drake as she tried to convince herself of her own words. “This is all a ploy, is it not?!”

“Xie Nol.” Sur Diel's voice was sharp as she rebuked the warrior. “To suggest that an oath involving the gods would be taken as a means of deception is blasphemy in its own right. You would do well to watch your tongue.”

Instead of calming down, Xie Nol merely turned her attention towards the priestess. “How can you be so... _accepting_ of this?! Why are you not-”

Then she finally seemed to register Sur Diel's generally placid demeanour and Lind-Rel's aura of quiet resignation.

“...No,” the warrior murmured with a mixture of shock and horror as the true nature of the situation slowly but surely dawned on her. “It cannot be. You cannot seriously be telling me that... that...” She pointed in the general direction of their guests' lodgings. “_Him?!_”

That Xie Nol's outburst perfectly mirrored Lind-Rel's from a few nights ago was a moment of dark humour understood only by her audience of two. Even so, Lind-Rel refrained from pointing it out; as it was, she was still reluctant to fully accept it herself despite her own verbal agreement to this 'alliance'. There was a part of her that continued to cling to the hope that Sur Diel had interpreted things inaccurately and this man was not the mate Yuda had chosen for her. For now, however, she would go along with this insanity if only to buy herself time to prove the priestess wrong without jeopardising the well-being of her people. “That is what Sur Diel believes,” she answered simply.

The sharp look Sur Diel gave her made it clear the priestess had not missed the hint of lingering defiance in that response. Nevertheless, the woman seemed to decide it was not worth the effort to chastise her for it because she chose to address Xie Nol instead. “I speak on Yuda's behalf, child. Unless you wish to challenge my word and by extension the will of the goddess herself, you _will_ be silent.”

Despite the warning, Xie Nol appeared entirely willing to continue her tirade, and it was perhaps only due to a noise at the tent's entrance that she was denied that opportunity. As one, all three women watched as a young boy from their village poked his head inside. “Ah, tribe leader,” he greeted her hesitantly, his nervous gaze darting between her and her two companions. “The... um... Your...” he kept faltering, unsure as to how he was supposed to address the man who by all accounts was soon to be his _other_ tribe leader. “He requests your presence in his tent.”

Xie Nol immediately and wordlessly began drawing the sword she had gotten to replace her broken one.

“Xie Nol, please,” Lind-Rel scolded her cousin even though she secretly wanted to do the very same. “You are scaring the poor boy.” She turned to said boy who had paled at the sight of the gleaming blade and gave him the most reassuring smile she could muster in her current mood. “Thank you for passing along the message. You may go now.” The moment the grateful youth scampered off, her smile disappeared and she turned to face the other two women with an expression that clearly communicated her displeasure. “Well. It appears I have been... _summoned_.”

“If he tries anything...” Xie Nol let the half-finished threat hang in the air.

“Then I will take it as proof Sur Diel is wrong and deal with him myself.” Lind-Rel shot a glare at the priestess, daring her to protest in any way, but the woman merely looked back passively. “I will see you both later.”

With that, she took her leave without looking back before making her way to the tent where the man she still wished had not shown up in her life was spending the night. As she walked to her destination, she could feel the eyes of her people following her every step. If she concentrated hard enough, she was almost sure she could hear the rumours begin to form and spread. The thought irked her more than she cared to admit and put her in an even fouler mood than she had first been when she had received his message. It took all of her effort to keep her hand loose at her side and not rest it on the hilt of her sword.

She nearly gave in to that urge and more when she arrived at the tent to be greeted by the embodiment of murderous intent.

“For Rao's sake, Ben-Sul, step aside and let her in.”

The face of the warrior in front of her twisted as if he had just bitten into an unripe neblar fruit but he obeyed albeit stiffly and shifted just enough for her to pass.

She had expected... well, _something_ to use as proof that his genial demeanour thus far had been a front and he was no less despicable than the warlords who had tried to conquer her village in the past.

Instead, she found him fully clothed and seated in front of the small table that had been provided for him with the old man at his side. In front of them, a rough map of the surrounding area was splayed out with small carved rocks placed at seemingly random spots all across it. Upon her entrance, both of them looked up, but he was naturally the only one who gave her a smile at the sight of her.

“Ah, thank you for accepting my invitation,” he greeted her warmly. “I was worried for a moment that you would refuse.” Then he glanced over her shoulder and gave the warrior standing behind her a pointed look.

“...I will go and tell our men about the arrangements for tomorrow.” Everything from Ben-Sul's intonation to the aura of palpable distrust he was giving off made it all too clear he did not like the idea of leaving them alone. He was, however, very much the loyal warrior she made him out to be and dutifully followed the command that had been given to him no matter how much he clearly disapproved of it.

“Please forgive Ben-Sul.” The sincere request drew her attention back to the man she had come to see even if somewhat unwillingly and she found him wearing a genuinely exasperated expression. “He is under the impression that you will slit my throat or do something equally terrible to me the moment he lets you out of his sight in my presence.”

She privately wondered if she should say something about Xie Nol's threat, not to mention her own uncharitable thoughts, but ultimately decided against it. “You requested my presence?” she asked as neutrally as she could manage.

“Straight to business as usual, I see,” he sighed with theatrical sorrow but offered her his usual warm smile before she could give him a caustic reply of any kind. “Please, have a seat; I am, as you might have surmised, planning my next move and would like your counsel as you are naturally much more familiar with these lands than I.”

That explained the map... and perhaps even the strange little rocks littered across it. A small part of her felt... a little pleasantly surprised at this development as she lowered herself onto the seat across from his. “Your map is inaccurate,” she said without preamble only to immediately wonder if she was being too brusque. While none of the feelings she harboured for him were even remotely positive and she was still determined to prove Sur Diel wrong, they were undeniably very much allies at the very least so being civil was the sensible choice and the least she could do. She was, after all, still the leader of her tribe and deplorable manners were inexcusable no matter the situation.

Instead of being offended, however, he merely laughed and turned to the silent seer at his side while sporting a mirthful grin. “See? Did I not tell you so, old man? We should demand our money back from that sham of a merchant if we ever find him again.”

“I believe it was _I_ who told you not to trust him, boy,” Tophar Keln shot back with a glare. “_You_ were the one who insisted upon purchasing this worthless piece of thylak hide despite my warnings.”

“No, I am most certain it was _I_ who said he looked like a charlatan, you decrepit coot.”

“Did you perchance injure your head in the last few days and lose your memory, you dull-witted brat?”

“You may have one of my maps,” she suggested, finding herself believing for some reason that they would continue this argument forever if she did not intervene. The way the two of them spoke so candidly to one another indicated that their relationship was much closer than that of tribe leader and seer. In fact, she got the impression that borderline rude conversations like these were a normal occurrence between them. It made her feel as if she was... intruding, for lack of a better term. And perhaps even a little jealous; Sur Diel had no tolerance for such insolence, never mind on a regular basis. Not even Xie Nol spoke to her with such familiarity especially after her parents had passed and she had taken up her place as tribe leader.

Just like that, his undivided attention was trained on her once again along with that bright smile while the seer fell silent. “You have my deepest gratitude. That would certainly spare us a great deal of trouble. Shall we continue this discussion tomorrow then when you have your map with you? It is getting late and I do not wish to keep you without good cause.”

She blinked, unable to hide her surprise. This did not in any way resemble how she had expected this encounter to develop, much less end. “...I... Very well.”

“Excellent!” He clapped his hands and got to his feet. “Then I look forward to seeing you in the morning. For now, I should go find Ben-Sul and prove to him you have not murdered me before he loses his mind and does something stupid like fall on his sword.”

“That is all?” she blurted out before she could stop herself. “Truly?”

Her question caused him to pause and give her a look of genuine if polite confusion. “...Yes? It is not as if we can accomplish much else for now without your map.” Then realisation dawned on him and that infuriating grin of his made its return. “Ah, perhaps you were expecting something else to happen when you arrived at my tent tonight? Something involving less... clothing?”

Despite her best efforts, she could not stop her cheeks from burning as she glared at him. “You presume too much,” she snapped, all too aware that they had an audience who happened to be watching them rather intently. “And even if you had such... _intentions_... when you had requested my presence, I would have refused you on the grounds that you have not asked me for my permission according to the ways of my people.”

“Oh?” His teasing grin was momentarily replaced by an expression of sincere curiosity. “So the stories were true after all. However, I confess that I do not know how it is meant to be done so I humbly ask if you are willing to teach me.”

Her first instinct was to refuse but then an idea formed in her head and she decided to execute it without another thought. “You first turn the person's hand palm up and brush your thumb across it before kissing it,” she told him.

“I see.” Ever so gently, he grasped her sword hand and followed her instructions perfectly. “Like this?”

“...Yes,” she replied through gritted teeth as she pulled her hand free. Of course he would not fail something such as this.

“That is good to hear.” The corners of his lips twitched as he eyed her meaningfully. “And your response?”

Without breaking eye contact, she took his sword hand, turned it palm down and drew her finger across the back of his palm horizontally. “That is a 'no'.”

Once again, he merely laughed instead of becoming furious which only served to irritate her further. It did not help that as she stormed off back to her tent, she caught his errant comment to Tophar Keln about how he had expected her response as he had used up all his good favour with the gods when she had agreed to be his mate.

In that moment, Lind-Rel decided that strategic alliance or not, she was going to prove without a doubt that he was not the mate Yuda had chosen for her if it was the last thing she did.

* * *

Of course, none other than Sur Diel was waiting for her when she exited her tent the next morning.

“We should discuss when to hold the latching ceremony,” the priestess said by way of greeting. “It is my recommendation that we do it as soon as possible before the sandstorm season is upon us.”

The map in Lind-Rel's hand came dangerously close to being crushed to the point of uselessness. “I believe there are more pressing matters at hand that require my attention,” she replied through gritted teeth as she sidestepped the woman. “It would be best if I attended to them first.”

Unsurprisingly, Sur Diel was undeterred albeit a little irritated and fell into step beside Lind-Rel. “You have already accepted his proposal. I do not understand why you would try to delay making it official.”

_Because I am still unconvinced_, Lind-Rel desperately wanted to snap back but refrained, aware that speaking her mind would only worsen her situation. The only true course of action available to her was to stall until she could find a way to escape her current predicament with as few consequences as possible. “My conversation with him last night indicated that he wishes to move on as quickly as possible to the next village – possibly because he wishes to avoid being caught in the sandstorms mid-journey – and thus will not be staying long.”

“When exactly are we to have the ceremony then?” Sur Diel demanded to know. “Surely you cannot be suggesting that we... _forsake tradition_-”

Tradition. Of course. Seeing the unexpected opportunity for what it was, Lind-Rel stopped in her tracks and turned to face the priestess with her best attempt at a serious expression that conveyed none of her simmering anger. “There are a great deal of preparations to take care of before the ceremony can be held, are there not? And you know better than anyone else that they cannot be rushed. It simply cannot be done before he leaves.”

Sur Diel stared uncomprehendingly, traces of frustration creasing her brow. “So what are you-”

“We will have it when I return with him after I help him negotiate his alliances with the tribes that we ourselves have good ties with,” Lind-Rel answered the unfinished question.

For the first time since she had known the woman, Sur Diel looked shocked beyond words. “You intend to _go with him_?”

“It is the only sensible choice,” she argued, keeping her voice as calm as possible. “The other tribe leaders are more likely to accept his offer if I am there to vouch for him and I think you can agree that we would both prefer to have fewer dead trade allies regardless of how his quest ends.” What she did not mention was that aside from granting her more opportunities to obtain proof that even the priestess would have to accept, being away from her village for a time would put some much-desired distance between her and Sur Diel's meddlesome ways. One could perhaps call it a shirking of her duties for something rather petty but she chose to see it as a necessary evil.

“And what of your duties as our leader?” Sur Diel demanded, thankfully oblivious to Lind-Rel's true motives. “Do you intend to just abandon them – abandon _us_ – on the eve of the sandstorms?”

“Xie Nol can lead in my absence,” Lind-Rel supplied quickly. “She is more than capable and everyone will listen to her. You have my word that I- that _we_ will return as soon as possible and I will no longer have any objections to having the ceremony then.”

The priestess narrowed her eyes in suspicion, causing Lind-Rel to worry that her subtle deception had in fact been too obvious, but eventually let out a sigh of resignation. “I suppose I can find no fault with your suggestion. In the meantime, it would be prudent of me to see if there are any latching customs from his side that we will have to incorporate as it would be rude to insist on everything being done solely our way.”

Lind-Rel tried not to smirk victoriously. The first stage of her plan had actually worked. Now all she had to do was hope that the rest of it would go just as smoothly. “Thank you. If that is all, I will be taking my leave as I have to speak to... Vell Or,” she finished haltingly. It occurred to her then that this was the first time she had ever spoken his name out loud, much less _thought_ it. She shook the strange observation away before it could settle and refocused her attention on Sur Diel who was still studying her intently. “I will need to discuss with him on how we are to proceed.”

They parted ways then, but the taste of his name on her tongue and the troubling thoughts it had stirred up lingered much to her dismay. Consequently, whatever good mood she had gained from her small victory against Sur Diel had evaporated by the time she found herself face to face with him again.

That he was all smiles just like always and entirely oblivious to her inner turmoil only worsened things.

“Good morning!” he greeted her warmly at the entrance of his tent, his slightly damp hair suggesting that he had just returned from an early bath. Before she could say anything, however, his gaze dropped to the roll of thylak hide in her hand. “Ah, straight to business again, is it? Come in, come in; the old man should be awake by now and I have already sent Ben-Sul off to oversee our preparations for our journey so you will not have to worry about him.”

“I see,” she replied neutrally although she was secretly glad for it considering the animosity between them was mutual. Of course, there was still the matter of the seer who was once again eyeing her rather intently although he politely returned her greeting and poured her a cup of water as she sat down. It was enough to temper her annoyance from earlier and she resolved to be as civil as possible as she unfurled her map on the table.

To her quiet surprise, Vell Or was serious and attentive as he listened to her explanations and suggestions, interrupting only to add his own comments or ask for clarification. The one exception had been when he had asked Tophar Keln if they should expect any problems in the near future, prompting the seer to pull out a pouch from his robes and conduct a simple divination using small julin crystals and gloirian bones.

“We will be able to avoid the worst of the sandstorms if we do not delay and stay true to the route Lind-Rel has suggested,” the seer declared as he studied the crystals and bones before carefully sweeping them back into their pouch. “The weather should not be a concern until we reach the Beroah Sea. By then, we should have reached the village of the Xelett tribe and should be able to take shelter there until the storms pass and we resume our journey along the coast.”

Vell Or hummed thoughtfully as he scrutinised the map. “How soon are you suggesting that we leave?”

“As soon as possible,” the seer replied. “While a delay of a day or two should be all right, I would not recommend taking that chance.”

A sigh escaped Vell Or as he brought a hand up to scratch his jaw. “Then I suppose it cannot be helped.” He looked up to meet her gaze, his blue-grey eyes conveying a mixture of regret and something that looked like curiosity. “It is my every intention to honour the ways of your people but I have to ask: I suppose it would be too much to hope that the latching ceremony your people practise is a speedy one?”

Lind-Rel stiffened before she could stop herself – a reaction she was sure had not gone unnoticed by at least one of the men – but managed to relax quickly enough that she hoped she could pass it off as simple surprise. “No. To forsake tradition, especially when it involves something this important to my people, would be an insult to Yuda. On that note...” She drew a fortifying breath. “I have a suggestion.”

“Oh?” He leaned forward, intrigued. “Do tell.”

_Please let this work._ “I will travel with you and speak in your favour during your negotiations. Some of the tribe leaders you will be meeting have had dealings with either myself or one of my people and will likely be more receptive to your offer of an alliance if I am there with you. As for the latching ceremony, your current travel route will eventually lead back in the direction of my village so we will have it upon our return.”

He let out another thoughtful hum but his lips curved upwards soon enough. “A sound proposal. In that case, I look forward both to your companionship during our travels and our eventual latching. As for your provisions-”

“I will bring my own tent and anything else I will need,” she cut him off as politely as she could manage, eager to make it clear from the beginning how things would be between them during the journey.

The already upturned corners of his lips twitched as if he was suppressing a laugh. “I see,” was all he said as he straightened. “While I admit that it is unfortunate that we will have to delay our latching ceremony, I have no complaints about this plan. After all, you deserve a celebration worthy of the queen you are going to be when I accomplish my goal.”

Unsure what to do with that declaration, she was saved from having to come up with a response by sounds of a commotion outside. Dread settled in her stomach when she realised she recognised one of the angry voices shouting indistinctly among the commotion: Xie Nol. She rose from her seat immediately, only belatedly realising that Vell Or had also gotten to his feet with what she could only presume was an expression of weary resignation.

She understood why when they exited the tent together to find Ben-Sul and Xie Nol yelling in each other's faces with their hands resting dangerously on the hilts of their swords. Alarmed, she quickly moved to get between the two warriors even as Vell Or began ordering Ben-Sul to stand down. Together, they managed to eventually calm things down and discover the cause of the argument which turned out to be nothing more than a disagreement over the amount of food to be given to the drakes belonging to Vell Or's men.

“I suppose we have discovered yet another excellent reason to depart as soon as possible,” Vell Or commented bemusedly once everything had settled down again.

“If you are referring to the fact that our seconds seem to be looking for an excuse to begin their own duel to the death, then I would have to agree with you,” Lind-Rel muttered as she massaged the lingering headache plaguing her.

He laughed heartily at that. “Yes, that is exactly what I am referring to.”

A strange pause followed, and something about the silence caused her to raise her head and look up to find him gazing at her with an expression that made her feel self-conscious. “...What is it?” she asked warily.

The smile he gave her was somehow familiar and yet not. “It occurred to me that aside from my initial request for you to be my mate, I have not made so much as a token gesture to prove to you that I am sincere about my intentions.”

Conflicting emotions warred for control inside her. “You do not have to-”

“Here.” In one smooth move, he slipped a thin bracelet made of refined caesit ore she only just noticed off his left wrist, grasped one of her hands and gently placed the item in her open palm. “It is not much but unfortunately it is all I have to give for now.”

The metal was slightly warm from his touch, she noted idly, and seemed a little too delicate an accessory for someone like him. “I... Thank you.”

Something like hopefulness glimmered in his eyes, but before she could so much as contemplate the reason behind it their attention was drawn to the sound of yet another shouting match. The familiarity of the two loudest voices made them sigh and they gave each other an exasperated look before they headed off to once again prevent their seconds from killing each other.

In the ensuing commotion, the bracelet slipped out of hand and mind unnoticed.

Lind-Rel was only aware of its disappearance when she was approached later by Tophar Keln with it in one hand and a small skeerskin pouch in the other.

“I believe this is yours now,” he said simply as he handed over the bracelet. “And you may use this-” he held out the pouch, “-to keep it if you do not wish to wear it.”

Shame began to gnaw away at her as she timidly accepted both items, her gaze trained on them if only to avoid the seer's piercing gaze. “Ah, forgive me... I did not-”

“His father made it for his mother to commemorate his birth,” the old man continued as if she had not spoken, and the words as well as his tone caused her to lift her head. “It is the only thing he has to remember them by, having lost them to a bandit attack when he was but a small child. At the very least, it would be preferable if you did not lose it.”

“Oh.” She suddenly felt very small – like a guilty child who had been caught in the act of doing something unforgivable – and found herself once again unable to meet his gaze.

“You do not wish to be latched to him.” The observation sounded like a damning accusation, and she felt compelled to look upwards once more to find him looking back with a kind of sadness swirling in his green orbs. “You hide it well and that silly boy is probably wilfully blind about it but I can tell. What I cannot understand is why you accepted anyway.”

The guilt became like a vine wrapped tightly around her throat. “I-”

“It is not my place to ask,” he admitted, “and neither is it my right to ask you to care for him in any fashion. However...” A sigh escaped him, and suddenly he looked even older that he already did. “If it is at all possible, I would like to ask simply that you do not hurt him.”

“I have no intention of doing so,” she found herself replying with far more conviction and sincerity than she herself had expected.

It did not go unnoticed, and the shadows around his eyes seemed to lift just a touch. “Thank you. That is all I need to hear.” He gave her a deep bow. “I apologise for taking up your time with the stories of an old man. You have much left to do and prepare before we begin our journey and I will not delay you any further.”

She had no idea how long she spent simply standing there after he had left, doing little more than staring at the innocuous item in her hand. Her mind and heart were in utter turmoil, unable to shake the heaviness of the recent revelations. That he had given her something so precious to him without telling her of its importance... That he likely had no intention at all of letting her know, simply content with the knowledge that she now possessed it... How was she supposed to deal with all of that? What was she supposed to do now in light of this information?

Her hands moved of their own accord, and before she realised it the bracelet was innocently adorning her left wrist as if it had always been there.

It was the most secure way to keep it, she rationalised as she tried to put the matter out of mind for good in favour of concentrating on the many preparations she had to make. She was not heartless and she certainly did not hate him enough to want to lose something he cherished especially not when it had been given to her as a gift. Even if she was apparently not meant to know its significance, that did not change the fact that she knew now and to be wilfully careless with it seemed unimaginably cruel.

She told herself as much, only hoping that he would not notice.

He noticed, of course.

The expression on his face could not be described as anything but joyous surprise when he brought his drake up next to hers as they rode away from her village and spotted the bracelet on her wrist. “Ah, I see you are wearing it. Does that mean that you approve of my gift?”

_Why did you not tell me what it means to you? Why did you give it to me so easily?_ She opened her mouth but the words remained trapped in her throat. It made no sense until it did; she was afraid, she realised – afraid of what he would say in response. Would he deny it? Or would he confess the truth and say something that she was almost sure would further unsettle her already troubled heart? She did not know... and so she swallowed her questions along with her disquiet. “I... I do not dislike it,” she murmured as she averted her eyes to avoid his earnest gaze.

His exuberant laugh caused her to glance back whereupon she found him looking impossibly even happier than before. “That is good to hear! Today is going to be a wonderful day, I feel.” The sound of his name being called at the front of the retinue drew his attention away from her. “Ah, I am unfortunately needed, it seems. Once again, I am glad to see you thought it a worthy gift. Now, excuse me while I attend to whatever matter it is that requires my attention.”

When he rode off, that radiant smile was still etched on his face.

It was a hot day. That was the only explanation for the warmth she could feel on her cheeks. (The fact that it did not explain the warmth blooming in her chest was something she chose not to dwell on.)

* * *

Travelling with Vell Or and his retinue, Lind-Rel discovered, was not as unpleasant an experience as she had first uncharitably thought it would be.

Things were undeniably tense at first; he was unsurprisingly the only one who felt comfortable enough to speak to her both regularly and casually while his men still eyed her with distrust. (Tophar Keln was polite on the few occasions they conversed and said nothing about the bracelet even though she knew he had not failed to notice it while Ben-Sul... was Ben-Sul.) All too aware of the situation and the validity of their feelings, she had done her part to help where she could but kept to herself most of the time. It was for the best, she had decided, considering her true purpose for following them on their journey.

That had changed when the carelessness of one of the warriors during a hunt had prompted her to leap in to save him, resulting in her sustaining minor injuries. She had accepted his frantic apologies with an awkward smile, assuring him that she was all right and there was no need to worry. Believing that to have been the end of it, she had immediately retired to her tent upon their return to their camp in order to tend to her wounds herself.

She had only just retrieved her stash of bandages when a young woman she recognised as one of the retinue's healers cautiously entered her tent and offered to help. The almost instinctive urge to refuse had seized her at first – she was too used to doing things on her own after cycles of being tribe leader – but the earnest if timid expression on the healer's face compelled her to accept the proffered help instead.

They had talked while the healer who identified herself as Rai Khos carried out her duties, and by the time the task was complete Lind-Rel had felt comfortable enough to consider the other woman a friend.

The next day, one of the warriors had asked her to spar with him, and his friends had laughed uproariously at him when she had knocked him flat on his back in a matter of minutes. Somehow, that simple interaction had eased the tension that had permeated every interaction she had had with them, and while they still maintained a kind of distance from her after that it was out of deference instead of suspicion.

Ben-Sul still looked at her as if he expected her to slit Vell Or's throat the first chance she got, of course, but she had a feeling there was little she could do about that.

As time passed, she began to slowly forget her purpose for joining Vell Or's retinue. Instead, she found herself admiring his form on the occasions she was able to watch him train his men. Although she had offered to speak on his behalf when he brought his offer of an alliance to the other tribe leaders in this part of Sard, there was usually little need for it; his eloquent words, full of conviction and sincerity, turned out to be more than enough to sway their minds. He was good to his men, friendly and strict in turn whenever the situation called for it, and they followed him not because they feared him but because they sincerely believed in him.

Unfortunately for her, he noticed the subtle shift in her opinion of him and seemed to take far too much pleasure in teasing her about it.

“You may call me Vell if you wish,” he suggested in the middle of an otherwise casual conversation, mirth dancing in his blue-grey eyes and lingering in the curve of his grin. “We _are_ going to be mates soon enough, after all.”

She rejected it outright at first; it was too familiar – too... _intimate_ – and she resolved to address him by name only when absolutely necessary afterwards if only to ensure that she would not say its shorter alternative by accident. However, the proposition wormed its way deep into her mind despite her best efforts, and the look on his face when she accidentally called him as such made her entire face flush bright red.

(In contrast, he always said her full name as if it was a privilege she had granted to him – a gift to be cherished at all times – and it struck her as horribly unfair how there was no way to change that without somehow making things worse for herself.)

And then one day, she found herself thinking that perhaps she did not mind all that much if he truly was the mate Yuda had chosen for her.

To her shock, the notion did not mortify her as much as she had the day Sur Diel had first brought the idea before her.

* * *

That changed when they finally arrived at the village of the Odvrit tribe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, that is totally not a sense of foreboding descending upon you, nosiree... >_>;;


	3. Part Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wounds are inflicted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... uh... I'll start off by apologising for the fact that because I can't write something short to save my life, this is not the final part of this story.
> 
> Then I have to apologise for the upcoming pain.
> 
> Also, if the medical procedure featured is incorrect, I would like to say that even the Great Google could not help me so I just had to try my best...

Lind-Rel was familiar with the leader of the Odvrit tribe, having occasionally negotiated trade agreements with Tez Miolr in the past when hard times had befallen either party. The woman had always been courteous and fair in all their dealings, and while friendship was an overly generous way of describing their relations, there was an understanding built on mutual trust and good faith.

In short, there had never been any cause for Lind-Rel to harbour any remotely negative feelings of any kind towards someone she considered a valuable ally.

It was, however, hard to remember that as she watched Tez Miolr interact with Vell.

Lind-Rel's hands clenched into fists on her thighs and she bit down on her tongue as Tez Miolr once again leaned in close enough that her long black hair brushed Vell's arm. There was no need for such nearness – the tent in which they were holding their discussion was comfortably large – and yet it seemed as if the space between the two kept shrinking.

And Vell was doing absolutely nothing to stop it from happening.

Some unfamiliar twisting feeling manifested in her chest, and it only worsened as she watched their hands brush each other for what must have been the sixth time since negotiations had begun. Tez Miolr had accepted Vell's offer readily, citing Lind-Rel's presence as a sign that he was trustworthy, and the two had quickly moved on to discuss the finer details of what their new alliance entailed. Both Tophar Keln and Ben-Sul had maintained their silence, having no real part to play in the unfolding dialogue, and Lind-Rel herself had difficulties finding due cause to speak unless either of them addressed her. Vell did so, of course, but somehow or other Tez Miolr always managed to steer the conversation back to where she had his undivided attention.

Decorum demanded that she stay until the negotiations came to their proper conclusion, and yet she found herself wishing more than once that she was anywhere else but here.

It seemed as if an entire solar cycle had passed before everything was finally settled, and Lind-Rel barely managed to stop herself from all but leaping to her feet in her haste to escape.

In contrast, Vell got to his feet at a languid pace, sincerely thanking Tez Miolr for her hospitality and promising that she would not regret agreeing to this alliance. She was all smiles as she clasped his hand and assured him that she believed him wholeheartedly, the epitome of the gracious host as she invited him to stay as long as he wished.

It was a simple friendly gesture, but seeing it made the food sitting in Lind-Rel's stomach roil uncomfortably.

She needed some air. Or to be alone. Whichever she could get first.

Curtly telling Vell some excuse of a reason for her abrupt departure, she pretended not to hear him as he called out to her and exited the tent as quickly as she could manage without looking suspicious.

They had camped just outside of the village's walls due to the unavailability of lodgings in the village itself, and so she took the opportunity the walk back to her tent provided her to draw deep breaths and try to think clearly. She was overreacting. Seeing things. Making too much of innocent accidental touches. He had just been polite and wanted to avoid potentially offending a new ally. After all, he had all too readily addressed her as his future mate in front of Tez Miolr; it was not as if he had tried to hide or even diminish their relationship in any way.

She kept telling herself all these things and more... yet her mind incessantly replayed all those little moments where it seemed as if... as if there had been something _else_ going on.

By the time she was finally alone in her tent, the twisting feeling in her chest had become unbearable.

Her head was a jumbled mess and wrapping her arms tight around her body was doing little to keep the troubling thoughts currently plaguing it at bay. Vell was not unattractive; that was something she had been willing to admit even at the start when she had loathed his very existence. Their fight when he had initiated Dakkam Ur had given her first-hand proof that he was an extremely skilled warrior. He was a charismatic and caring leader who had clearly earned the loyalty of his men through merit and the strength of his character instead of fear and intimidation. While she did not like the fact that it was usually at her expense, his good sense of humour made his companionship most welcome especially on rough days.

By all accounts, he was not only perfectly capable of achieving his goal of becoming the first king of Sard but also well-suited for all the responsibilities that came with the title.

In other words, he could objectively be considered an extremely desirable mate and would only become even more desirable the closer he came to achieving that goal. There was no way that fact would have escaped Tez Miolr.

The realisation unsettled her more than she expected, and before she knew it her right hand had begun toying with the thin metal bracelet on her left wrist.

He had given her something so precious to him just one day after she had agreed to be his mate without telling her of its significance. That meant something, did it not? After all, would he have made such a gesture unless his feelings for her were sincere and not at all fleeting?

But then she remembered that what she knew about it came from Tophar Keln and he was clearly very fond and protective of Vell. How sure was she that the seer had not fabricated its history just to get her to value the gift? To think that the gesture had more meaning than it truly had and perhaps develop more favourable feelings for him than the animosity she had originally harboured for him? No, surely a holy man such as him would not do something so manipulative as that. At least, that was what she believed... or had believed. Now she could not be completely sure.

Doubt ate away at her, growing with every distressed beat of her troubled heart.

To her people, latchings were sacred and guaranteed happiness as they were determined and blessed by Yuda herself. While she had admittedly resisted it at first, she had been slowly warming to the idea of being latched to him... but what if... What if she had been right at the beginning? What if he really was not the mate Yuda had chosen for her after all? Proving that had been the driving force behind her decision to join his retinue... but now...

Her fingers clasped the bracelet so tightly she could feel the metal cutting into her skin.

She had to talk to Vell. If she just talked to him, she was sure that all these thoughts would stop tormenting her.

Mind set on this course of action, she exited her tent and headed in the direction of his.

“Lind-Rel! Wait, please!”

The sound of Rai Khos' voice stopped Lind-Rel in her tracks and she turned reluctantly to face the healer who was close to tripping over her own feet in her haste to catch up. “What is it?” she asked, hoping that her tone did not convey any of the volatile emotions running riot in her heart at the moment.

Oblivious to Lind-Rel's internal turmoil, Rai Khos struggled to speak and catch her breath at the same time. “Forgive me but... you said the other day to consult you when I had to restock our supplies once we reached this village...”

Torn, Lind-Rel nevertheless forced herself to put her personal troubles aside for the moment and focus on the matter at hand. With far more patience than she thought she was capable of in her current state, she advised the healer on matters such as what local herbs would be ideal replacements for their usual medicine.

All the while, she could not stop herself from glancing in the direction of his tent.

Eventually they reached the tail end of their conversation and Lind-Rel allowed herself to feel a strange mixture of relief and anticipation. Just a little more and-

She looked up just in time to see Tez Miolr exit Vell's tent.

Her heart stuttered painfully in her chest.

“Lind-Rel?”

The sound of her name snapped her back to the present whereupon she found Rai Khos looking at her curiously. “Ah, s-sorry.” Lind-Rel cursed the sudden shakiness of her voice and tried to bring it back under control. “Did you say something?”

Rai Khos stared back with worry-laced curiosity. “Just that you seem... distracted. Is everything all right?”

It took all of Lind-Rel's willpower to force the corners of her lips to curve upwards. “I am fine.” She was anything but fine. Going to see Vell suddenly seemed like the worst possible idea. She was... She needed to be alone. Alone and far away from here. Far, far away. “Is there anything else you need from me?”

Rai Khos shook her head before bowing. “No. Thank you and goodnight.”

Lind-Rel waited only long enough for the healer to turn around and walk ten steps before she herself made to return to her tent-

“Ah, Lind-Rel.”

That voice. Ever so slowly, she turned around again to find herself facing possibly the last person she wanted to speak to right now second only to Vell. “Good evening, Tez Miolr. Is... Is there something I can help you with?”  
  
Tez Miolr shook her head and smiled although the curve of her lips just made Lind-Rel feel even more uneasy. “It is nothing much. I just thought we should speak as there was little opportunity to do so earlier.”

_You made it so yourself._ The accusation was on the tip of her tongue, ready to be spat out with all the bitterness boiling inside her, but Lind-Rel held it back through sheer force of will. “It was not my place to speak; after all, only the two of you could negotiate the alliance according to our customs.”

“That is true.” Tez Miolr's eyes seemed to take on a glint that did not improve Lind-Rel's state of mind. “I must say, you truly are quite fortunate.”

“...In what way?” Lind-Rel asked even though she had a feeling she knew the answer.

Tez Miolr blinked and her smile slipped a little as she eyed Lind-Rel with an expression of mild curiosity. (Whether it was genuine or for show was anyone's guess.) “Why, your mate, naturally. One could only hope to do any better than Vell Or on almost any level.” Then her smile returned, but this time it seemed somewhat... calculating. “You really should be careful lest another woman steal him away from you while your attention is elsewhere.”

Every muscle in Lind-Rel's body screamed for motion – to fight, to flee, _anything_ – but she kept deathly still, unwilling to show any sign that Tez Miolr's words had affected her. “I will take that under advisement,” she murmured haltingly before bowing a little stiffly. “Forgive me, there are matters that require my attention so I must take my leave now.”

“Have a good night,” she heard Tez Miolr call out as she walked away, and she once again wondered if the woman was subtly mocking her or not. It fed her turmoil as if it were a starving drake and she let her feet take her to the edge of their camp where she could find the solitude she had wanted. However, being alone with her thoughts only made things worse as all her mind seemed capable of was endlessly replay Tez Miolr's interactions with Vell during the negotiations along with their own recent conversation.

Eventually she found she could bear it no longer and turned to head towards the destination she had originally decided upon when she had left her tent. If she could just speak to Vell, she could ease her mind and never think about this matter ever again.

The first thing she noticed when she entered his tent was him sitting on his bed, that familiar smile of his playing on his lips like always whenever she was present.

The second thing she noticed was the two empty cups resting on the table.

“Lind-Rel!” As usual, he sounded happy to see her but her current doubts made her question his sincerity. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight?”

“I... I just wanted to speak to you.” Her eyes darted between his guileless face and the cups. “Were you... Did you have company?”

His curious gaze followed hers to land on the innocuous items before it lit up in recognition. “Ah, yes. Tez Miolr stopped by.”

That he did not try to keep it secret only offered her the smallest of comforts. “I see. What... What was her purpose? Was it anything to do with the negotiations?”

“Oh, no. Nothing of the sort.” His smile was one of reassurance but it did not have its desired effect. “There is nothing to be concerned about.”

“I think I should be the one to decide that,” she replied sharply before she could stop herself. When she realised what she had said, her eyes widened and she mentally cursed her momentary loss of self control.

He stared back equally wide-eyed, his expression a mixture of surprise and confusion. “Lind-Rel? What is the matter?”

“Nothing.” It had been a mistake to come here – to talk to him while her head was clouded with doubts and embers of anger born of fear. “I am tired and think I will go to sleep now. Goodnight.”

“Lind-Rel.” He sprang to his feet as she turned to leave and caught her wrist in a gentle but firm grip, causing her to still in her tracks and reluctantly turn around to face him again. This time, the look on his face could not be anything but worry. “Please, talk to me. What troubles you?”

_You_, she wanted to respond but bit back the answer. His touch burned and she tried to shake his hand off to no avail. They barely touched especially intentionally, she realised with a bitter start; it was usually rare and careless brushes of the hand that were brief and unworthy of mention. In contrast, Tez Miolr had probably touched him – most likely intentionally, even – more times during the negotiations than she herself had in the past lunar cycle. Perhaps even more than just touching if the woman had... “I told you, it is nothing. What you do with whom is none of my business. Please let me go.”

“It is very clearly not 'nothing',” he pointed out with a frown. “And what do you mean by-” Then he cut himself off as realisation dawned on him. “Is this about Tez Miolr?”

Curse him. Curse him and his ability to read her so well. “No,” she lied through gritted teeth.

To her chagrin, he was not only unconvinced but began _grinning_ at her. “Are you by any chance... _jealous_?”

The way he stressed the last word along with his apparent delight at his conclusion cut deeper than she expected, causing her to wrench her hand free from his grip almost violently. “_I am not JEALOUS_,” she hissed, almost spitting out the detestable word. “Do not think so highly of yourself.”

Unfazed by her actions, he continued grinning at her, his blue-grey eyes twinkling with mirth that clearly came at her expense. “What other conclusion makes sense? Come now; there is no shame in admitting it especially to me.”

It felt like someone had seized her heart and was slowly but surely crushing it in their grip. “I will admit nothing of the sort because it is the farthest thing from the truth there is.”

“Stubborn as always,” he complained theatrically with an exaggerated sigh. “You know, you could let me win just this once and acknowledge that I am in the right here.”

His choice of words was the tipping point and she found herself speaking her true thoughts before she could second-guess herself. “Is that all this is to you? A _game_? Have you ever genuinely cared or has it been nothing more than a cruel joke you have been playing on me for your own amusement all this while?”

All at once, his grin disappeared to be replaced by a look of genuine shock. “What? No, I-”

She had heard enough and refused to hear any more. Anger stemming from feelings she was loathe to name took over her, and before she fully realised it herself she had already slipped the bracelet off her wrist and thrust it against his chest. “Take this back. I no longer wish to keep it. And I rescind my acceptance of your proposal. For the sake of my people, we will remain allies from now on but there will be nothing more to it than that.”

“Wait-” He barely caught it in time to prevent it from falling to the ground when she let it go and turned to leave. “Lind-Rel-”

The moment she felt his touch on her shoulder, she jerked away and drew her sword in one swift motion. “_Do NOT_,” she snarled as she pressed its sharp edge against his throat and watched his eyes widen in alarm, “_touch me._ Do not try to follow me. And _never_ speak to me again.”

With that, she sheathed her sword and exited his tent.

He did not call out to her and neither did he try to follow her.

It did not make her feel any better.

This had to be it. This had to be a sign that he was not in fact the mate Yuda had chosen for her, because surely he would not have hurt her so callously otherwise.

She had finally gotten the proof she had wanted to obtain the day she had hatched this plan of hers... so why was she not at all happy about it?

* * *

To say that things were tense between them after that would be an understatement.

Tez Miolr gave them curious looks when they took their leave but thankfully said nothing, a small mercy for which Lind-Rel was all too grateful. A heavy oppressive silence descended upon the entire retinue as it headed off on the next stage of their journey, and it seemed to only get worse as the days passed. In the dark as to the cause of the tension, everyone else was overly cautious around both of them but her in particular. Tophar Keln did not try to approach her, Ben-Sul started looking at her with even more hostility, Rai Khos awkwardly attempted to broach the subject numerous times only to give up at the last moment... and as for _him_...

He tried, initially. Despite her request for him to leave her alone, he sought her out when he could, apologising profusely for his behaviour. Tez Miolr had in fact attempted to seduce him, he confessed, but he had firmly rebuffed her advances and insisted repeatedly that nothing had happened between them after that. The only reason he had tried to keep it from her initially had been because he did not wish to compromise her relationship with the other woman. Hand pressed against his heart, he had sworn to her in the name of all the gods that his feelings for her were genuine and unshakeable.

Part of her wanted to believe him – wanted to accept his apology and repair things between them – but it was suppressed by the overwhelming pain, doubt and fear that continued to plague her. She was afraid – of being wrong, of being right, of being hurt again – and rejected everything he had to say, going so far as to pretend he was not there at all. To his credit, he still respected her space and privacy, never once physically cornering her and only trying to speak to her in situations where she could walk away. Eventually, however, he gave up and left her alone which somehow both relieved and pained her at the same time.

But that in a way paled in comparison to the other thing he kept doing even after that: giving her the bracelet again and again no matter how many times she returned it.

First he had tried to hand it back when he was attempting to convince her that he had been and still was faithful to her. When she had ignored him outright, he had put it gently on her hand, insisting that he could no longer take it back as it had been a gift given with complete sincerity. Unable to so much as look at it, she had handed it to Tophar Keln with the polite request that he return it to its rightful owner. He had given her a look she was reluctant to interpret but had thankfully accepted it without a word of protest, and she had thought that to have been the end of the matter.

Except the bracelet had kept reappearing among her possessions no matter how many times she continued to return it, no doubt placed there when she had not been looking. Tied to her drake's reins with twine, resting on her bed when she returned to her tent for the night... It reached the point where she once contemplated simply throwing it away so that she could be rid of it for good. Only the utter heartlessness of the act had stayed her hand – even now, she could not bring herself to be so cruel to him – and in the end she had decided to keep it in the skeerskin pouch Tophar Keln had given her long ago, put it into her pack and resolved to never think about it again.

Such was the situation when they arrived at the next village which belonged to the Urair tribe, and Lind-Rel found herself looking forward to meeting its leader again. Char Mos was a wise and kind man who had always given her a warm welcome on the rare occasions she had had to travel this far away from her village; the respite his company would offer from the stifling atmosphere surrounding her current travel companions was much anticipated.

Only it was a dark-haired man she did not recognise who met them at the gates with a small accompaniment of warriors.

Something about him immediately put her on guard.

“Hail, strangers.” Even the smile on the man's face made her want to reach for her sword. “Who are you and what brings you to my village?”

“Hail,” Vell Or replied with his hand raised in greeting. “I am Vell Or of the Kirech tribe and this-” he gestured in her direction, “-is Lind-Rel of the Zrelem tribe. As for the reason behind our presence, I would like to humbly request a proper venue where we can discuss it at length with my two attendants as witnesses.”

“Of course.” The stranger bowed but the gesture seemed somewhat mocking. “I am Fal Haujs and I welcome you to the village of the Urair tribe.”

“May I ask what happened to your predecessor Char Mos?” she asked as they followed their host, unable to hide her curiosity any longer.

“Ah, so you knew him? I thought you seemed familiar somewhat. Perhaps I saw you on one of your past visits.” Fal Haujs smiled at her in a seemingly genial manner but she did not miss the way his leering amber gaze swept across her body. This time, her hand twitched with the suppressed urge to draw her sword. “Unfortunately, he was struck down by disease several solar cycles ago. Before he passed, he named me as his successor.”

While she admittedly had not known the man as well as she would have liked, it was hard for her to believe that Char Mos would entrust the mantle of leadership to someone she had never once so much as seen in his presence. To voice her doubts would be highly ill-advised, however, so she kept them to herself... for now. “I see. My condolences; he was a good man and a great leader.”

“Yes. Well.” Fal Haujs sounded somewhat dismissive but they arrived at a large tent before she could contemplate the issue further. “Come in and make yourselves comfortable; I will have food and water brought for you and your men outside.”

As always, Vell Or waited patiently for permission to start speaking before he began a speech she had heard several times now. Lind-Rel, on the other hand, maintained her silence as much as possible, uncertain if she could keep her misgivings out of her words or even her voice. Char Mos would have been more than receptive to the concept of an alliance, being a man of peace and reason, but this man... Her instincts were screaming at her that he was not to be trusted.

“I admit you make a compelling argument.” Fal Haujs' voice drew her attention back to the present whereupon she found that Vell Or had finished speaking and was listening intently to the response to his offer. “However, I am afraid that I will have to decline as I do not believe an alliance will be as beneficial to me and my people as you claim.”

Vell Or's brow creased slightly. “If it is a matter of the details, I am sure that we could-”

“No.” The haughtiness in Fal Haujs' demeanour irked her, and the soft shuffling she could hear behind her indicated that Ben-Sul was similarly offended on his leader's behalf. “Nothing you say could possibly convince me otherwise. Please leave and do not come back.”

“Forgive me, I cannot do that. And I am also sorry for what I must do next.” Just as he had when she had refused his offer, Vell Or reached for his dagger. “I, Vell Or, leader of the Kirech tribe invoke the sacred rite of Dakkam Ur – to meet with you in single combat before the gods.” He drew the weapon from its sheath and drove it point-down into the ground between him and Fal Haujs. “May the fate of my people rest on the fate of my life.”

For the briefest of moments, Fal Haujs' mask of faux affability fell to reveal an expression of malevolent hatred but it vanished so quickly that she was tempted to believe it had been a trick of the mind. “I accept your challenge,” he said, a soft resigned sigh escaping him, “but feel unprepared to fight you at present since even your arrival took me by surprise. Tomorrow, perhaps?”

“Very well.” True to form, Vell Or remained diplomatic and did not show any sign of being offended by the condescending way he was being spoken to by someone who was essentially an equal. “Then we shall begin at dawn. I do not suppose you have accommodations to spare in your village that we may use?”

That insincere smile was back. “No, I do not. You have my sincerest apologies.” Fal Haujs did not in fact sound apologetic at all.

“That is fine.” Vell Or got to his feet, and the rest of them followed suit. “We will set up camp just beyond your walls and return in the morning.”

Fal Haujs stood as well and bowed, but once again the gesture rang hollow to the point of outright mockery. “I look forward to crossing swords with you.” When he straightened, he wore an expression of false concern. “Ah, please be careful tonight; a group of bandits has been spotted in the area and they are indiscriminate in who they attack.”

Seemingly taking the warning at face value, Vell Or expressed his thanks and showed no sign he suspected anything. It bothered her far more than she expected, and even as they made their way back outside she fought the ever-growing urge to speak up and say something – _anything_ – to him about her concerns. He was no fool so surely he would have noticed _something_; she could not have been the only one who came away from that conversation thinking that Fal Haujs was not someone to be trusted. Even if that was the case – unlikely as it was –, Tophar Keln and Ben-Sul would very likely have come to a similar conclusion. In other words, there was no need for her to seek him out and speak to him after over a whole lunar cycle of pretending he did not exist.

And yet she still found herself pacing in her tent worrying.

Vell Or was an honourable man who took matters involving the gods seriously despite not being an overly religious person. As such, he would be the last person she would ever expect to do something underhanded especially when it involved a sacred rite like Dakkam Ur. Fal Haujs, on the other hand... Even though she had only just met him, everything about him screamed duplicity of the highest and ugliest order.

Knowing Vell Or, he would still fight Fal Haujs honourably despite being fully aware of this.

That realisation was the deciding factor, and Lind-Rel found herself exiting her tent and heading in the direction of his before she could change her mind.

The light of Sard's moons made it easy for her to find her way although it made her idly wonder just how long she had spent ruminating the issue. Crowding out that thought, however, was the acute awareness that this would be the first time she would be speaking to him after such a long while. She was, despite her best efforts, a little... nervous. What would he say? How would he react? Would he listen or return the favour by not acknowledging her existence?

(That last possibility hurt more than she liked, but she found herself feeling that perhaps she deserved it just a little.)

All too soon, she found herself standing outside his tent, listening as the muted sounds of a heated argument emanated from within. Ben-Sul's anxious voice was easily recognisable, and although she could not make out the words she was almost sure she knew exactly what he was saying. She could leave now; in light of their current situation, Vell Or was more likely to listen to the two men who had been by his side compared to her. There was no need for her to repeat concerns Ben-Sul and Tophar Keln were already voicing at this very moment.

Even so, she found herself reaching for the tent flap.

Silence befell the tent the moment she stepped inside as all three men ceased talking to stare at her in surprise. It worked in her favour, and she took the opportunity to voice her concerns before she could be interrupted. “I think you should revoke your challenge.”

Unsurprisingly, Ben-Sul reacted first, his features twisting with a mixture of suspicion and hostility. “Your opinion is invalid and even if that were not the case, he does not have to do anything you tell him to do.”

“You yourself were giving that very advice before she arrived, Ben-Sul,” Tophar Keln pointed out neutrally, “or is your dislike for her so great that you would willingly contradict yourself just to avoid agreeing with her?”

Ben-Sul began sputtering a weak defence but he as well as Tophar Keln were ignored by Vell Or who had by now somewhat recovered from his surprise at seeing her. However, the next words out of his mouth did not in any way improve the situation. “If I had known that invoking Dakkam Ur would get you to speak to me again, I would have done it much sooner,” he noted with a hint of dry humour.

His seeming disregard for what she had actually said irked her to no end, and she began seriously reconsidering her decision to speak to him at all. “Is that all you can focus on? Did you even hear a word I said?”

A weary sigh escaped him as he closed his eyes. “Of course I did. It was no different from what these two-” he gestured tiredly at the two men with him who had fallen silent and begun watching them intently, “-have been saying without pause since we returned from speaking to Fal Haujs. Forgive me; I did not mean to sound dismissive.”

The sincerity of his apology tempered her irritation somewhat, but the fact that he had said nothing about accepting their counsel kept the flames of her ire alive. “But you are still going to go through with it.”

He met her furious gaze with his own steely one. “Yes.”

“Why?” she demanded to know. “Is it your pride? Some need to prove that you are the superior warrior? Dakkam Ur is not the only way you can achieve your goal; there are other-”

“That may be so,” he cut her off, his tone polite but firm, “but this course of action is the fastest and most efficient method. Besides, to revoke my challenge now before we have fought even once could potentially compromise my ability to bring Fal Haujs' tribe under my rule in the long run.”

“Even if there is a possibility that he will employ some underhanded means in order to win?” she pressed as her hands curled into fists at her side. “Surely you cannot be so blinded by your honour that you cannot see him for the untrustworthy rogue that he appears to the rest of us!”

“I would sooner trust a starving dragon not to eat me than I would Fal Haujs to fight fairly tomorrow,” he admitted. “Nevertheless, all I can do is strive to outmatch him to such an extent that I will still come out victorious.”

“You stubborn... infuriating... _fool_,” she hissed through gritted teeth, too furious to come up with worse insults. “Why did I even bother coming here to try and talk some sense into you? Why do I even still care-” She snapped her mouth shut one word too late, eyes widening in shock as she realised what she had unwittingly said.

He stared back, equally surprised, and in that moment she forgot that they were not alone.

Someone blinked first, and just like that the moment was over. Reality sank in and she turned on her heels to leave. She had to be somewhere else. Somewhere far away from him.

“Lind-Rel, wait!”

She pretended she had not heard him and quickened her pace as she headed for the darkness just beyond their camp. The need to put as much distance between herself and him overrode all of her usual instincts, and she abandoned caution all too easily in pursuit of her goal. He persisted, however, his footfalls loud and heavy behind her and getting closer with every passing second even as she all but ran for the cluster of trees in front of her.

“Lind-Rel!”

A firm hand gripped her arm and spun her around in one swift motion, and before she could fully register what had just happened she found herself trapped in his arms with her face all but buried in his chest. “What- _Release me at once!_” she cried, her embarrassment at her verbal slip from earlier instantaneously replaced by anger at his admittedly uncharacteristic forwardness.

He let out a wheezing laugh – a sound which just as quickly turned her anger into alarm even though she could not understand why – and his arms loosened their hold slightly. “And... I had thought...”

“...Vell?” she whispered, her concern so great that she momentarily forgot she had sworn to never refer to him again as such the day of their last argument. He was still standing but the weight of his body was gradually becoming more apparent to her, indicating that she was supporting him even if somewhat unwillingly.

“...I... would die before... I got... to embrace you...” he finished, his voice growing softer and hoarser with every word.

Then his arms went slack and he slumped fully against her, forcing her to wrap her own arms around him to prevent him from falling to the ground and taking her with him.

That was when she saw the arrow shaft jutting out of his back.

Time stopped, as did her heart.

“_VELL!_”

No. No, this could not be happening. This could not be real. This had to be cruel joke. A terrible dream. She kept telling herself as such even as her eyes remained trained unblinkingly on the arrow shaft and her knees buckled partially from shock and partially from her inability to keep him upright any longer.

And yet the arrow shaft did not disappear. He did not pull away and laugh at her for having fallen for his prank. She did not wake up, safe and alone in her bed.

He was dying in her arms and she could do nothing but let it happen.

...No. Desperation coursed through her veins as she shakily forced one of her hands to release him so that it could reach for her dagger. Poison. The arrow had to be poisoned. That was the only explanation as to why he had passed out so quickly. If that was the case, she needed to remove the arrowhead as quickly as possible before any more of the poison seeped into his body. How long had it been since he had been shot? Was it already too late? No, she could not think like that. She had to focus. Focus and not let her hands shake as she carefully widened the wound before digging the object out, doing her best not to pay attention to the way his blood was staining everything and his breathing was becoming even more shallow.

The moment the arrow was free, she cast it aside without a second glance. Then she squeezed the wound in the hopes of removing as much of the poison already in his body before staunching his blood with strips of cloth ripped from both their clothes. “Please...” she begged through a vision blurred with tears, “_please_... Do not die on me.”

“_What did you do to him?!_”

The enraged exclamation dragged her attention away from Vell's lifeless form and upwards to find Ben-Sul racing towards her with a wrathful look on his face. Behind him, Tophar Keln had his eyes trained on Vell instead of her, and his expression made her feel ten times worse than she already did.

“_Answer me, you traitor!_” Ben-Sul held his sword aloft, his rage-filled eyes communicating a genuine intent to kill her, and in that moment Lind-Rel found herself welcoming her seemingly imminent fate.

“_Ben-Sul! Calm yourself and see sense!_” Tophar Keln's voice boomed commandingly as his hand wrapped around the warrior's arm, preventing it from swinging downwards. “There is no way she could have done this! And look! Would she have stayed and be trying to save his life if that were the case?”

Even though he did not struggle to free his arm, Ben-Sul still looked unconvinced and did not put away his sword. “But-!”

“_Enough!_” The seer's tone allowed no further room for argument. “Summon a few men and scour the surrounding forest for the culprit while I tend to Vell Or! _Go!_” The moment Ben-Sul reluctantly did as he had been told, Tophar Keln knelt down next to her and began assessing the situation himself. His worry was so apparent that he practically emitted it in visible waves. “Tell me what happened.”

It was as if a dam had broken. “I-I-I do not know,” she stammered even as she kept her hands pressed down on Vell's wound. “H-He followed me a-and before I realised it there was-” she gestured in the vague direction of where she had flung the arrow. “It might have been poisoned – he fell unconscious too quickly – so I removed it even though-” Her throat closed up as she began second-guessing everything she had done. “I tried,” she whispered plaintively. “I tried my best.”

“I can tell. Thank you.” Tophar Keln's words of gratitude were genuine but achieved the opposite of their intended effect. How could he be thankful? To her of all people? “Help me get him back to camp; the sooner we let the healers take care of him, the better his chances will be of living through the night.”

That was all the motivation she needed, and she somehow managed to find the strength to get to her feet with Vell's left arm slung around her shoulder. Tophar Keln mirrored her position on Vell's other side, and together they moved as fast as they could towards their camp without jostling their precious charge.

They were fortunately met at the very edge of their camp by their retinue's healers who had come prepared with a makeshift stretcher, no doubt alerted of its need by Ben-Sul. She felt a strange sense of loss the moment they relieved her and Tophar Keln of their burden and watched as they carried him away. Lingering feelings of guilt kept her feet rooted to the ground while the seer in contrast followed the stretcher, barking information and instructions along the way.

In that moment, she wondered if this was the last memory she would have of him alive.

“Lind-Rel!”

The sound of her name drew Lind-Rel out of her waking nightmare to find Rai Khos running up to her. As soon as she was close enough, the healer reached out to check her for injuries. “By the gods! We need to tend to you as well!”

“No,” Lind-Rel croaked as she feebly swatted Rai Khos' hands away. “I-I am fine. It is not-” _my blood_, she wanted to finish but could not bring herself to say the words. Her hands, her clothes... they were all stained with his blood. It was appropriate in the most ghastly way, she thought. “Do not worry about me. Please...” she begged, “please go save him.”

Rai Khos looked conflicted, clearly torn between caring for her friend and doing as said friend had asked. It was likely only due to the fact that Vell was her tribe leader that she finally acquiesced albeit with no small measure of reluctance. “All right. But please... make sure that you truly are all right.”

“I will,” Lind-Rel promised weakly and waited for Rai Khos to run after her fellow healers before she began making her way back to her own tent. Her body moved as if it was a puppet, wooden and lifeless, and she was barely aware of having poured out some water into a large washing bowl. It was only when she felt the chill of the water as she plunged her hands into it to wash away Vell's blood that her mind resettled on the present.

For an untold amount of time, she simply stared blankly at the sight of the now slightly pinkish water and, ever so faintly, the reflection of her devastated expression staring back at her.

That was when the tears finally came.

All at once, the grief and guilt hit her like a tide in a storm, and she nearly upended the bowl when she sank to her knees and began sobbing uncontrollably. Vell was dying – could even be dead right now for all she knew – and it was all her fault. If she had not run into the forest, he would not have chased her and gotten injured. If she had not been so adversarial with him, there would have been no need to flee his tent in the first place. If she had not...

She was being punished, she realised with a horrible gut-wrenching start – punished by Yuda for her childish insolence. From the beginning, she had been presented with the mate the goddess had chosen for her but had rejected him at every possible turn. Her stubborn pride had not allowed her to accept it at the start, and even when he had begun to wear down her defences she had still refrained from embracing the notion completely. Then the incident with Tez Miolr had happened and she had let her insecurities overcome her – had used it as an excuse to push him away and convince herself that he could not be her chosen mate even though a part of her had known it to be true.

And Yuda had meted out the cruellest and most appropriate punishment possible in response to her ingratitude: striking down Vell in front of her.

“Please...” she begged, tears still streaming down her face as she shakily clasped her hands in prayer and bowed her head in supplication. “Please... I am sorry. I am so sorry. I was wrong. I was wrong to disobey you. Just... _please..._ please do not make him pay for my transgressions. Please... I promise I will accept any other punishment. But not this. Please... not this. Anything but this.”

The night stretched on but she kept praying, never once stopping even when her throat was raw.

A commotion outside was what finally pulled her out of her feverish praying, and she found to her dull surprise that dawn had already broken. No one had come to her tent at any point in the night, leaving her no idea as to Vell's condition. She chose to see it as a good sign; if he had died, she had no doubt that Ben-Sul would have come to take her life for it and no one – not even Tophar Keln – would have been able to stop him... and she would have made no effort to beg for mercy either.

The noise grew louder, full of agitation and uneasiness. A different kind of dread settled in her empty stomach but Lind-Rel forced herself to her feet and exited her tent. Exhaustion gnawed away at the very fibre of her being, and it was only through sheer force of will that she was able to put one foot in front of the other again and again.

It was Fal Haujs and several of his warriors.

He did not notice her approach, his attention focused on Tophar Keln who stood in front of him with Ben-Sul at his side. “I came as promised. Where is Vell Or? I would like to get our duel over as soon as possible.”

“My leader is... indisposed at the moment.” Tophar Keln's voice and posture were mostly unreadable, but experience gained from several lunar cycles of travelling with him told her that he was understandably tense.

“Oh?” Fal Haujs feigned mild concern. “He is not dead, is he?”

A ripple of unease washed over everyone from their retinue who was present, her included, but Tophar Keln remained admirably stoic. “No, he is merely injured. We believe it to have been the work of the bandits you warned us of yesterday.”

Her relief at his confirmation that Vell still drew breath was short-lived.

“So it must be. And it is good to hear that he survived.” To her utter lack of surprise, Fal Haujs did not sound pleased at all. “However, that does not solve our current predicament. If he cannot present himself for Dakkam Ur, then you must agree that it is essentially a forfeit on his part.”

It was a flash but she caught it clear as day: the slight upwards curl of his lips that spoke of a suppressed smirk.

In that moment, she knew without a doubt that he had been responsible for the attack last night. He had most likely planned this from the beginning, feeding them a story about roaming bandits in order to throw suspicion off himself.

The realisation ignited something in her, and all at once the grief and guilt consuming her turned into white-hot rage. She had expected some manner of unsavoury behaviour from him as a means of emerging victorious against Vell in Dakkam Ur but to resort to assassination...

“I will take his place,” she announced out loud, instantly commanding the attention of everyone else in her vicinity. Ben-Sul choked on air but she ignored him, her focus trained on Fal Haujs and no one else. “I am a tribe leader aligned with Vell Or; if anyone can fight in his stead, it would be me. Ben-Sul will be my second. Do you have any objections?”

For the span of a heartbeat, the malevolent hatred from yesterday blackened Fal Haujs' expression again before he hid it and regarded her with a patronising gaze. “Very well. I see no reason to object. Na Kei here will be my second. Shall we begin?”

It was obvious that he was looking down on her and expected an easy win. Whatever his reason was did not matter to her, however; she would slay him even if it killed her. That was the only way she could come up with to atone for her role in nearly causing Vell's death.

“Are you sure about this?” Ben-Sul stood before her as everyone else began moving away to make room for the duel. (Tophar Keln did not approach although she could feel his searching gaze regardless.) For the first time since they had met, his eyes communicated not hostility but rather genuine concern.

“Yes.” She tried and failed to give him a reassuring smile but it came out as a pained grimace instead. “Do your part and I will do mine no matter what. This I swear in the name of Yuda.”

He wanted to comment about her state, no doubt, but refrained and carried out his duties as instructed. Under normal circumstances, she might have been tempted to suspect some kind of sabotage on his end – revenge for her part in Vell's current dire situation – but knew that he was too honourable for that. Striking her down in anger was one thing; sullying a sacred rite and by extension his faith in order to exact his vengeance was another.

Besides, he knew as well as she did what was at stake and his devotion to Vell would not allow him to compromise that.

The weight and balance of Ben-Sul's sword was unfamiliar to her – his tribe favoured slightly longer and heavier blades compared to hers – but she would not let it impede her. Fal Haujs seemed almost equally unaccustomed to the sword in his hand, no doubt due to his lack of experience wielding it, so they were somewhat even on that end. However, he was well-rested unlike her and that gave him a significant advantage.

He was all too aware of it as evident by the smirk he was openly wearing on his face.

It only stoked the rage keeping her upright and alert.

No matter; she would let him think he had the upper hand. And when the timing was right, she would show him the error of his ways.

Their fight began, and just as she had expected he was quicker on his feet and his strikes were stronger than hers. Only her superior skill on the battlefield kept his sword at bay, the blade coming close enough several times that she heard it sing as it sliced through the air where her neck had been a scant second ago. At her best, she was reasonably sure that she could beat him with little effort but she was tired from lack of sleep and weighed down with guilt.

His sword found flesh – once, twice, thrice – and the cruel gleam in his eyes became even more apparent.

She let the wounds bleed freely, the droplets of red staining the ground just another part of her penance.

Then, when he charged in, sure of his imminent victory, she sidestepped his strike and plunged her blade hilt-deep into his chest.

“_No one_,” she snarled into his ear as he gurgled on his own blood, “harms my mate and lives.”

Silence reigned and the crowd remained still like statues as she pulled her sword free and let Fal Haujs fall dead to the ground at her feet. With her gaze alone, she dared any of the slain tribe leader's warriors to challenge her victory.

A moment passed where they glanced uncertainly at each other before one by one they knelt before her.

Relief washed over her and nearly caused her to collapse as well. Her anger now spent, she barely had enough energy to remain standing, much less conscious, but forced herself to continue projecting a pretence of strength.

“Tophar Keln,” she called out without taking her eyes off the kneeling warriors, “please escort our guests back to their village and take care of the rest of the formalities. Ben-Sul, come here and retrieve your sword. I want you to take a few of your finest men and accompany Tophar Keln to ensure things remain peaceful. The rest of you, stay and keep watch over the camp; I do not think I have to tell you which tent in particular is in need of a few additional guards.”

“Understood,” they all chorused, obeying her without question. She had gained their trust along the way here but if any of them still had any reservations left about her loyalties her recent actions had taken care of that.

Not that there was any need for it. Not any more after this.

When everyone was occupied with their assigned tasks, she dragged herself back to her tent, dressed her wounds and began packing.

Yuda had spared Vell's life – whether it was due to her desperate pleas last night or the goddess' infinite mercy she could not tell – but Lind-Rel knew that she still had to pay the price for her impertinence.

And there was only one alternate punishment that would be acceptable in the goddess' eyes.

“Lind-Rel?”

At the sound of her name, she turned away from her drake to find Rai Khos staring at her looking confused, lost and just a little betrayed. Apparently it had been folly to assume she could slip away completely unnoticed. “I thought you would be tending to Vell,” she said, unwilling to answer the healer's unasked question.

“I am. I mean, I was. I came to... to tell you that he... he was still unconscious but recovering.” Rai Khos shook her head but her disbelieving expression remained. “Are... Are you... _leaving_?”

“I cannot stay.” If not for the fact that she had spent nearly the entire night crying, Lind-Rel was sure that she would have started all over again right then and there. “I am sorry, but I cannot. Please, do not ask me any more and tell no one. Not until I am long gone.”

Rai Khos opened and closed her mouth soundlessly, rendered mute both by her own clearly turbulent emotions and Lind-Rel's request. Taking the opportunity to continue her escape – she was too tired to try and lie to herself that it was anything else –, she gave her pack one last check.

Her hands found the small skeerskin pouch and she stilled.

The temptation to keep it was overwhelming but she buried it and yanked the item out before she could succumb to her selfishness. She did not deserve to have it. Not now and not ever again. “Here.” She pressed the pouch into Rai Khos' nerveless hands. “Please give this back to him when he wakes. And tell him-” She almost confessed it but swallowed the words. “Tell him not to come after me.”

With that, she turned back around, secured her pack and mounted her drake in one swift move before riding off in the direction they had come.

She never once looked back, and when she finally succumbed to her fatigue and slumped lifelessly over her drake's neck she mercifully did not dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (runs away too)


	4. Part Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Futures are forged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry this is so late; real life ate no less than two of my weekends and quite a few of my weekday nights so spare time to write was scarce. Excuses aside, here is the final part of this little side story! Enjoy!

Everything hurt.

Everything hurt and everything was difficult.

Grife, even _opening his eyes_ was difficult.

Vell Or tried anyway.

Muted light and blurry shadows greeted him, and he could not tell if it was because it was dark or if it had anything to do with how he felt like a Kaurius had recently used him as a plaything.

A fragment of a memory surfaced from within the haze of pain – danger, warmth, a sharp pain in his back, a familiar voice saying his name.

His mind latched on to the last detail; it was important, somehow, only he could not quite tell why in his drowsy state.

Then the memory crystallised and he remembered who had called his name and why.

_Lind-Rel._

If opening his eyes had been difficult, then pushing himself up from the bed he was lying on, not to mention just moving his arms in general, was almost an impossible task. It was only then that he realised he had been lying on his chest which was an unusual sleeping position for him.

Unfortunately, the next thing he realised all too quickly was that his back hurt. A _lot_. More than every other part of his body, in fact. Serving as a Kaurius' plaything would probably have hurt less than this although he was not particularly keen on finding out if that was true.

Priorities. He had to find Lind-Rel.

The moment he managed to make any kind of significant progress, however, the muted sounds of an ongoing conversation around him reached his ears, the words an indecipherable mess. He thought he vaguely recognised at least one of the voices speaking but the name and face associated with it escaped him at the moment.

Every muscle in his back – no, his entire body – screamed at him with every slight movement that he made but he did his best to ignore it. He had to find her. He had to make sure that she was safe.

Around him, the voices became slightly louder but not clearer, and suddenly there was the sensation of hands gently pushing him back down onto the bed. So they had noticed he was awake. Good. Maybe they could answer his question. “Where...” he rasped, his voice hoarse from pain and disuse; if they wanted him to stay still, the least they could do was tell him where Lind-Rel was or, better yet, find her for him. Then he would all too happily lie back down or even go back to sleep like his body so desperately wanted.

Instead, whoever it was ignored him and continued silently urging him to lie down again, and the next thing he was aware of was the sweet smell of crushed solnac flowers.

Against his will, his body gave in to the incapacitating effects of the medicine and his eyes slipped shut once more.

He dreamt of her.

* * *

Travelling alone and the lack of a need to visit every village in this part of Sard made Lind-Rel's return journey to her own village much faster than it would have been to retrace the retinue's path. However, necessity in terms of restocking supplies and overall safety still meant that she had to make a few stops along the way. Less than eager to see Tez Miolr again, she had avoided the Odvrit tribe's village and instead chosen to visit the Aegrus tribe.

Not that doing so had completely spared her of uncomfortable conversations.

“I must say,” Wyr-Takk murmured as he carefully refilled her cup, “I was not expecting to see you again so soon, much less alone.” Then he seemed to catch himself and gave her an apologetic look. “Ah, forgive me; I did not mean to imply that I do not enjoy your company if Vell Or is not with you.”

She shook her head and tried to give him a smile that did not resemble a grimace. “It is fine. I take no offence. As for your question, I received a message by whelpling that I am needed back at my village and decided to return early.” It was a lie she had prepared beforehand, knowing that she would inevitably be asked such a question, but saying it out loud was as difficult as she had imagined.

Having no reason to suspect her of any kind of deception, he took her excuse at face value and furrowed his brow. “I hope it is nothing too serious.”

His sincerity only made the guilt eating at her grow. “No, it is not. But thank you for your concern. It is most appreciated.” Eager to change the subject, she latched on to the first subject that came to mind which was the absence of his mate. “Is Yuika not joining us?”

To her surprise, her question caused a smile to bloom across his face. “Unfortunately, no. Shortly after your retinue departed, we discovered that she was with child. The healers were worried that her health and that of our child might suffer due to a combination of strain and the weather so they have recommended bed rest for at least one lunar cycle.” A booming laugh escaped him then. “As you might have guessed, she has not been taking it well and my ears have been suffering its fair share of complaints about boredom lately.”

A genuine smile curved her lips – her first in what felt like forever – as she reached for her cup and raised it in a toast. “I can imagine. But more importantly, I believe congratulations are in order. I truly am happy for the both of you.”

“Thank you!” Impossibly, he looked even happier than before as he mimicked her actions. “So when can we expect to hear similar news from you?” he asked with the innocent sincerity of a proud soon-to-be parent eager for others to share his joy.

Just like that, her smile faltered and words failed her. “Ah... That is...”

His good cheer immediately faded upon noticing her discomfort although he unsurprisingly misjudged its cause. “Oh! Forgive my impertinence. I had assumed that the subject would have been discussed between the two of you by this point but it seems I am mistaken.”

“No, please.” She held up a hand, desperate to stop his apologies and by extension their topic of conversation. “It is fine. I take no offence. I... I would rather we not pursue this topic any further, if that is possible.”

“Of course,” he agreed readily, too polite and kind a man to wish distressing her any further, and idle talk accompanied the rest of the meal. The moment the last morsel had been consumed, she bid him goodnight and took her leave. As much as she appreciated his hospitality, the sooner she went to sleep, the sooner she could rise and be on her way home.

...Home.

The word gave her pause in the middle of preparing to settle down for the night in the tent Wyr-Takk had graciously provided for her. It was strange how her concept of the word seemed to have shifted in the span of a few lunar cycles. Born and raised in her village, there had naturally been nowhere else that she had thought that she belonged – that her heart belonged.

But now...

She thought of eyes the colour of unrefined caesit ore. A teasing grin that was almost always at her expense. Hands calloused by swordplay and daily hard work. A deep laugh that warmed her very soul.

For a man who was thankfully still alive and belonged in her past, Vell continued to haunt her relentlessly no matter how much distance she was putting between them on more than one level.

Was he all right? Had he regained consciousness by now? Did the poison have any lingering effects on his body? Would his ability to fight from now on be impeded in any way?

...No. She had to stop thinking about him. To continue doing so risked inviting Yuda's wrath again and the last thing she wanted was for her actions to damn him twice over. The best thing she could do for both their sakes was forget he had ever come into her life.

With that last thought in mind, she closed her eyes and willed herself not to dream about him.

It did not work.

* * *

There were times where Vell Or found himself questioning the legitimacy and power of his status as tribe leader.

On an average day, his people would follow his orders without question, trusting him to have their best interests at heart.

That was not the case at the moment.

Ever since he had awoken from his unwilling slumber – for the second time, in fact –, no one had offered him any answers no matter what he did. The healers tending to him simply responded to his attempts to exert his power with admittedly tremulous voices that Tophar Keln had commanded them to maintain their silence. Even Ben-Sul who he had expected would cave if pressed hard enough kept his mouth shut although it was clearly tormenting him to do so. (The warrior eventually ceased checking in on him just to avoid being put in such an uncomfortable position, which was quite a statement unto itself in a way.)

“Why will no one tell me _anything_?!” he snarled, barely resisting the urge to push himself out of his bed. The last time he had tried, he had received yet another generous helping of solnac flower oil and he preferred to stay conscious this time. “All I want is to know if Lind-Rel is fine and to see her if possible!”

“Terrorising the people trying to help you – _your very own people_, I might add – is far from how a good leader behaves,” Tophar Keln scolded as as he entered the tent, his weathered features twisted into a scowl. “And it is certainly _not_ how I raised you to behave in general, boy.”

“It is a simple question, old man,” Vell Or snapped irritatedly. “Is a simple answer quite literally too much to ask for?”

Tophar Keln spared a moment to give poor Tho Gin a slight nod, and the grateful healer Vell Or had been tormenting with his endless queries all but fled the tent as if a dragon had chosen him as its next meal. “So,” the seer said neutrally as he turned back to face his ward, “you will quieten down if I give you what you want?”

“...Yes,” Vell Or replied through gritted teeth. Something told him that he was being led into a trap for some reason but he was all too aware that he was in no position to do anything about it.

A strange look flickered across Tophar Keln's face too quickly to be discerned. “You were the only one to be harmed the night you were attacked. Nevertheless, if you must know, she took your place in Dakkam Ur against Fal Haujs and sustained minor injuries in the battle despite her eventual victory.”

The knowledge that she had essentially gotten hurt on his behalf was distressing but Vell Or tried to take comfort in the fact that she had prevailed. “Can you ask her if she will come and see me? I wish to confirm that she is all right with my own eyes, not to mention thank her for her invaluable help.”

There it was again – that strange look. “She expressed her wish to be left alone quite clearly.”

Vell Or closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh which turned out to be a mistake because the pain in his back flared at his exhale. It was the least of his worries at the moment, however; even in circumstances such as these she was still unwilling to so much as see him. “...Very well,” he muttered dejectedly.

“Now will you keep your word and rest?” Tophar Keln asked pointedly.

This time, Vell Or refrained from sighing and instead buried his face in one of his hands. “...Yes.”

Perhaps he could try and speak to her when he had fully recovered and was allowed to leave his blasted tent. If she had been willing to fight on his behalf, maybe there was still a chance she was once again open to the idea of being his mate.

That was what he told himself, at least. (It was not as if he had many other options, after all.)

* * *

“You have returned.” Sur Diel's tone made her statement sound like a question especially with the way she stressed the next word that came out of her mouth. “_Alone._”

“Are you all right?” Unlike the priestess, Xie Nol put her concern for her cousin's well-being above her curiosity about the reason for Lind-Rel's unexpected early return.

“I am fine.” _Physically, at least._ Lind-Rel kept the second half of her reply to herself as she dismounted, all too aware that it would invite more questions. She still expected she would hear them eventually but did not wish to deal with them all the same. “Could you please help feed Kai'in while I unpack? It has been a long journey and I think I would like to rest first before I answer any more of your questions.”

“Of course,” Xie Nol agreed all too readily as she took the drake's reins from Lind-Rel, giving her cousin a worried look. “Go get your rest; you look as if you are about to faint at any moment.”

“I will,” Lind-Rel promised all too readily as she gave Xie Nol a weak parting smile before turning to leave.

“Lind-Rel-” Sur Diel started impatiently, clearly unhappy with being so blatantly ignored since the beginning of the conversation.

To her immense regret, Lind-Rel found herself being followed by the priestess. “I am tired, Sur Diel,” she tried to plead. “Can this not wait until the morning?”

“You have enough energy left to speak and you are still awake,” Sur Diel seemed all too eager to point out. “A short and simple explanation should not be beyond your capabilities right now.”

“Then perhaps I do not wish to give you one at the moment.”

“And to that I would say that you do not have a choice. Need I remind you exactly what was meant to happen before your departure? Now you have returned much earlier than you were supposed to and without the people – one person, specifically – you left with that day. As the priestess-”

“_You were wrong!_” Unable to take it any longer, Lind-Rel suddenly stopped and whirled on Sur Diel, causing the priestess to halt abruptly as well. A part of her was vaguely aware that her outburst had attracted unwanted attention but she was past the point of caring. “You were wrong, Sur Diel. He...” She faltered as the half-lie she had prepared for this very moment became trapped in her throat. “He is not the mate Yuda chose for me.”

Sur Diel frowned with a mixture of disbelief and suspicion. “And how would you know that?”

“I received a sign from Yuda.” This part at least was not a lie... but it was difficult to say the words all the same. “That is all you need to know.”

A scowl twisted the priestess' features. “Forgive me if I do not simply take your word on the matter considering we are both well aware that you were not at all eager to accept him as your mate.”

“Do you really think I would be so desperate as to commit blasphemy and invite Yuda's wrath in order to prove that you were wrong?” Lind-Rel bit back, her bitterness over the irony of her situation colouring her voice. “If that were the case, do you not believe that she would have struck me down by now for violating her most sacred of decrees to serve my own selfish desires?”

The scowl on Sur Diel's face eased back into a frown. “...I suppose not,” she admitted although it was clear she was not fully convinced just yet.

It was enough of a victory that all the fight went out of Lind-Rel and exhaustion overcame her once again. “If that is all for now, I would like to take my leave.” With that, she turned around and resumed her journey.

She had barely taken a few steps before she finally noticed the mottled green whelpling sleeping on the roof of her tent.

“...What...?”

“It arrived a few days before you did and has been stealing food from anyone unwise enough to leave even a morsel unattended,” Sur Diel offered as an explanation. “We tried to retrieve the message it is carrying but it seems to only be willing to surrender it to you.”

As if it had heard that it was being spoken about, the whelpling stirred and let out a yawn that showed off its tiny sharp teeth. Then it spotted her and stretched out its small wings before flying down to hover in front of her with a rather eager look in its yellow eyes. When she reached out with shaky hands to pluck free the small roll of parchment tied to its leg, it let out a satisfied bark and flew away.

To Lind-Rel's relief, Sur Diel did not ask about the contents of the message which remained unopened in her hand. If she were being entirely honest, she was almost afraid to find out herself. “I-I... I would like to not be disturbed for a while,” she managed to croak when she found her voice again.

Once again, the priestess surprised Lind-Rel by being uncharacteristically accommodating. “Very well. We shall continue speaking tomorrow when you are well-rested.”

Despite her now clearly misguided beliefs, Lind-Rel did not in fact find any solace in the privacy of the tent she had not called home for quite a while. Tired in more than one way, she sat down heavily on her neatly kept bed. Xie Nol must have come in every now and then to ensure that it would be ready for her whenever she returned and for that Lind-Rel could not be more grateful. Thanking her cousin for her thoughtfulness, however, was far from a priority for her at the moment.

Ever so slowly, she unrolled the parchment and immediately recognised Tophar Keln's neat handwriting.

'He asked for you the moment he awoke.'

All at once, the emotions she foolishly believed she had buried came rushing back to the surface. Joy at the knowledge that he was all right, guilt over her role in him getting hurt in the first place, bewilderment that he still cared about her in any way after everything, her own longing to be by his side again as well...

But she could never see him again. Not unless she wanted to risk incurring Yuda's wrath once more and losing him for good.

At least he would be safe this way. That was what she told herself. As long as she knew that he was alive somewhere out there, she could not ask for more. What that meant for her own future and the bloodline of Gwen Vald mattered little in comparison to that. If choosing this course of action damned her instead of him, she would be happy enough.

It still did not stop the tears from coming.

* * *

“_You LIED to me._”

“I did not lie.” As expected, Tophar Keln did not react in any meaningful way to the accusation being hurled in his face. “I merely did not offer you a more detailed answer.”

Vell Or slammed his fist on the table with so much force that it actually shook. “_How is that not another form of lying?!_”

“Was my answer to your question in any way untruthful?” Tophar Keln challenged with a steely look in his eyes. “Is the fact that she rode off almost immediately after the conclusion of her duel with Fal Haujs not enough of a clear indication that she does not wish to see you? Furthermore, there has been no message from her since then – not even to inform any of us that she has arrived safely at her destination, wherever that is.”

“You should still have told me,” Vell Or insisted heatedly. “I would have-”

“You would have done _what_, exactly?” the seer cut him off sharply, and this time there was an undeniable fire in those green orbs. “Chased after her? In your critical state? Without even knowing where she had gone? You would not have lived past a day.”

Tophar Keln's argument was without flaws and yet – or perhaps because of that – Vell Or found himself unable to accept it. “I still deserved to know. What I did with that information was my decision to make, not yours.”

“_It is precisely because I knew what your decision would be that I kept that information from you!_” Tophar Keln all but roared before his anger faded just as quickly as it had manifested. In its place was an emotion shining in his eyes that in hindsight was far worse. “I buried your parents, boy. _I will NOT bury you as well._”

Guilt pricked at Vell Or's heart upon hearing those words, chipping away at the anger and helplessness raging in his chest. No longer able to look Tophar Keln in the eyes much less argue back, he turned away and let silence reign over them.

Surprisingly, it was Tophar Keln who spoke first. “There is something else you should be made aware of.”

Vell Or's gaze flicked back to meet the seer's again. “What is it?” he asked tiredly.

Instead of responding immediately, Tophar Keln moved towards the entrance of the tent and pushed the flap aside to call out to someone. “Rai Khos, if you would please.”

The summoned healer's mannerisms communicated only hesitation as she stepped inside and bowed before Vell Or. “Tribe leader,” she addressed him timidly. “I... I was the one who first learned of Lind-Rel's abrupt departure. In fact, I was there when she was about to leave. I could have stopped her and I swear I tried but-”

“Rai Khos, please.” Vell Or held up a hand to stop the young woman's apology, a weary smile curling his lips. “I know all too well that there is no stopping Lind-Rel when she has set her mind on something. You did what you could and for that I thank you.”

Despite his words, Rai Khos did not appear comforted and strangely enough looked to Tophar Keln for help. When the seer gave her an encouraging nod, she turned back to face Vell Or. “There... There is something else.” Ever so slowly, she reached into the small pack tied around her waist and pulled out a small skeerskin pouch. “She asked me to return this to you.”

Vell Or did not need to open it to know what was inside. “...Thank you, Rai Khos.”

“You may go now,” Tophar Keln told the healer who bowed to both men before taking her leave. Then he retuned his attention to Vell Or who was still staring unseeingly at the item in his hand. “There are decisions to be made.”

A hoarse bitter laugh escaped Vell Or. “Of course there are.”

“While you were recovering,” the seer continued as if Vell Or had not spoken, “we received word from both the Hriun tribe and the Tremais tribe about suspicious movements at the northern edges of their lands. Our new allies believe that someone with ambitions similar to yours has already approached the Ermyrz tribe and acquired their allegiance. If we do not act quickly, our attempts to peacefully bring this part of Sard under your rule will be severely compromised.” A pause followed. “You know that whatever you decide, we will follow you without question.”

Tophar Keln said no more, but Vell Or already knew what his answer would be – what it _had_ to be no matter how much his heart rebelled at the mere thought of it. He had to think about what was best for his people and choose the path that would not needlessly put their lives at risk.

Love or duty?

There really was no choice, was there?

His fingers curled tightly around the skeerskin pouch and he closed his eyes as he forced the next words out of his mouth. “...Tell everyone to begin packing. We press on as soon as possible.”

* * *

“You keep touching your left wrist.”

Lind-Rel flinched at Xie Nol's observation and immediately pulled her hands apart. “It is nothing,” she murmured, hoping against hope that no unwanted questions would be forthcoming. “We should be focusing on the hunt or our prey is going to escape and there will be no food for the next few days.”

Of course, Xie Nol refused to accept the deflection and pressed the matter. “Does it have something to do with that bracelet I saw you wearing all of a sudden just before your departure? Did you lose it? You are obviously no longer wearing it, after all.”

“I said it is nothing, Xie Nol. Please stop asking. I do not wish to discuss it.”

“That has been your response every single time I ask you about anything related to your time travelling with Vell Or. It has been several lunar cycles since you returned, Lind-Rel, and you are... _different_... now. I am your cousin. _Please... talk to me._”

“As I have said countless times, there is no need for us to talk because there is nothing to discuss.”

Rustling in the foliage in front of them provided a welcome distraction, and the rest of the hunt as well as the trip back to the village was thankfully quiet. However, Lind-Rel could feel Xie Nol's piercing gaze on her throughout it all, her cousin's concern so great it was palpable. In any other situation, she was almost sure that she would have taken some measure of solace in how much Xie Nol cared about her. Unfortunately, all it did was remind her of everything she was trying to forget.

Not that she had been having much success in achieving that goal, she thought to herself with no small amount of bitter sorrow.

Neither time nor distance had helped; her mind still occasionally drifted to dwell on him and what was, is and could have been where they were concerned. She still worried about him – wondered where he was, what he was doing and, in moments of extreme selfishness, if he still thought about her as well. There had been no more messages following the one from Tophar Keln, leaving her with no idea as to his state and progress in achieving his goal. It should have been a boon as any kind of communication would likely have reopened the wounds she was so desperately trying to heal... except that was not the case.

Despite her best efforts, the possibility that his feelings for her had well and truly faded away to nothingness _hurt_. She knew she was being selfish – so, _so_ unimaginably selfish – and there was the slightest chance that even feeling this way could incur Yuda's wrath again yet she could not help it. To make things worse, she was all too aware that if he was still following the same plan as before, his retinue would be passing close by her village in roughly one lunar cycle – slightly more if she took into account the fact that his recovery would have delayed his departure from the village of the Urair tribe. Would he visit? And if he did, would he be alone? Or would he have found someone else by then – someone who had recognised his many virtues that made him an ideal mate and seized her chance to claim him for herself?

For one fleeting moment, her mind conjured up the image of him riding back into her village – back into her life – with none other than Tez Miolr at his side.

The thought made her stomach churn and she did her best to banish it but it persisted as if it were a serpent coiled around her heart, its fangs buried deep into her soul and spreading its poison throughout her entire being.

Such was its corrosive influence that she found herself counting the days until his potential return with increasing dread. When the day itself was almost upon her and her thoughts became too unbearable, she told Xie Nol that she would be going for an extended hunt alone and entrusted her cousin with the mantle of leadership in her absence. To both their credits, neither Xie Nol nor Sur Diel said anything and merely bade her to be careful before seeing her off themselves.

Perhaps she was running away from her problems – Lind-Rel was not so proud as to try and deny it – but it seemed better for all parties involved if she did not see him again. No, the most advisable course of action would be to avoid him as much as possible from now on and that was what she would do no matter how much it pained her.

Having made this admittedly painful decision, she rode her drake to one of her favoured areas and set up her tent. Then she went off to hunt, letting the act of finding and tracking her quarry keep her mind focused on something other than the one thing she could not stop thinking about at the moment.

She succeeded for the most part.

At least, for that brief moment before she returned to her tent to find the source of her troubles standing in front of it as if it were completely normal for him to be there.

“What are you doing here?” she found herself asking in a hoarse voice before she could stop herself. This had to be a dream. A hallucination, perhaps. There was no other plausible explanation for so many reasons. For one, his retinue was not supposed to have reached her village for several days and even if it had, there was no way he could have known to look for her here.

This could not be real.

And yet there he was.

“You returned it again,” Vell said softly even as he kept his gaze trained on Kai'in and his hand idly stroked the drake's snout. Nearby, his own black drake had settled in for a short nap, oblivious to her master's infidelity. “I had thought about simply leaving it here among your belongings like before but...” A weak chuckle escaped him. “I suppose the temptation to stay a while longer and see you one more time was too great to resist.”

“It is rightfully yours. I... I could not keep it for myself,” she whispered. The crellik she had captured hung limply from the loop of thin rope she held in her hand, forgotten in the face of her current situation. “Are... Are you here alone? No, that is not important.” She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. “How did you even _find_ me?”

“I rode ahead of everyone else when I thought we were close enough. Be forewarned; Ben-Sul might despise you for that. Which is a shame because I am almost certain he had actually started to like you,” he explained with a wry grin. “As for your other question, Xie Nol was surprisingly accommodating and told me where you might have gone.”

She could not decide which part stunned her more: that he had apparently been so impatient to see her again or that Xie Nol had actually helped him locate her. “But...” she faltered, struggling to find something – _anything_ – to stifle the hope and fear taking root in her heart, “you... There were no messages. _Nothing._”

A weary sigh escaped him as he closed his eyes and his hand stilled much to Kai'in's displeasure. “I wanted to, truth be told. I must have written a hundred messages – so many the old man eventually took away every scrap of parchment we had and forbade everyone from allowing me to have more. To thank you for taking my place and prevailing, to ask you why you had left so abruptly after that, to simply see if you were all right... but...”

“...But...?” she prompted hesitantly.

“...But I was afraid,” he confessed. “Of what your reply might be. Of whether you would even reply at all. And there were no messages from you as well – not even to inform me that you were all right. There was... It felt... _final_. Even when you refused to speak to me, you still stayed with us. Then I woke up and learned all too late that you had left without even saying goodbye – at least, you would have if Rai Khos had not found you just as you were leaving. So every message I wrote went unsent and finally I stopped writing them altogether. It did not help that there were other matters that demanded my attention. In the end, I decided that if you truly wished to have nothing to do with me, the most I would do was return my gift to you one last time.” He finally turned to face her, and the sight of those blue-grey orbs made her heart stutter painfully. “Now here we are.”

Her vision began to blur with tears as she tried to come up with some kind of a response yet the words eluded her. What was she supposed to say? How was she supposed to even _feel_? What did it mean for him to be standing in front of her alive and well in this very moment? Had Yuda brought him back into her life to punish her again for not staying completely true to her self-imposed punishment? Or could it be...?

The light in his eyes faded as did the smile on his face at her continued silence which he clearly interpreted as yet another rejection. “...I see.” His shoulders sagged and he hung his head. “I understand. Just...” He finally came closer and gently grasped her free hand so that he could press a familiar skeerskin pouch into her palm. “Please... keep it for good this time. There is no one else I would want to have it. And... know that regardless of everything, there is no one else for me – not now and not ever. Even if that means I will have no heirs and my kingdom as I have built it dies with me.” His smile returned however faintly but it did not reach his eyes. “Now that I have seen you and said my piece... I suppose this is goodbye, Lind-Rel.”

“W-Wait.” The spoils of her hunt fell to the ground as she reached out with her now free hand to grasp his just as he had released her other one.

He stilled immediately and turned back to face her, his expression a mixture of resignation and the slightest hints of curiosity. “...Yes?”

She opened her mouth to speak but no sound escaped. Was this a second chance? Had Yuda brought him back to her not to punish her again but rather as an act of divine mercy? Did she dare to hope? Did she dare to take that risk? Could she live with herself if she did not try at the very least?

Silence reigned as he continued to patiently wait for her to say something although his curiosity became increasingly clear with every passing second.

Her heart thundered in her ears as she chose her next words carefully, staring unblinkingly into his eyes all the while. “You... You never asked again,” she pointed out in a tremulous whisper. “Not after that first time.”

Curiosity gave way to quiet bafflement as he struggled to decipher what she was talking about. Then realisation dawned on his face and the faintest embers of hope began to burn in his eyes.

Ever so slowly, he lifted the hand she was using to grasp his, turned it palm up and brushed his thumb across it before pressing a tender kiss to it that sent a shiver racing through her entire body.

Without breaking eye contact or letting go, she turned his hand palm up, drew a line down it from the wrist to the tip of his middle finger with the hand still holding the skeerskin pouch and returned the kiss. “That...” Her voice wavered, and she swallowed in a weak attempt to get it back under control. “That is a 'yes'.”

A moment that stretched on for an eternity passed where neither of them so much as breathed.

Then she was finally, _finally_ kissing him and he was kissing her back and who would have thought that surrendering to her fate would feel so _glorious_?

* * *

Waking up had never come across more like a laborious task than it did now. Lind-Rel could not for the life of her remember the last time she had ever felt so well-rested – not to mention warm and contented – and she was beyond reluctant to give it up. Unfortunately, she was the type of person who found it difficult to drift back to sleep once something had roused her and grudgingly relented to the pull of the waking world.

The first two things her still hazy mind registered was the fact that she was naked... and the weight around her waist was not a blanket but rather an arm.

It took several minutes for the memories of how she had wound up in such a state to piece themselves together.

_Oh._

Making sure to make only the most minute of necessary movements, she carefully turned so that she was face to face with her equally naked bedmate.

It was the first time she had ever seen Vell at rest much less asleep, she realised with a start. Relaxed and at peace, he seemed like the most normal of men – free of the burdens and responsibilities that came with being the leader of his tribe and an aspiring king. As if it had a will of its own, her free hand came up to brush away the strands of hair falling into his eyes as she continued to gaze at him in silent wonder.

To think that she could have had this so much sooner if she had just been a little less stubborn... It was yet another item on her long list of regrets where he was concerned.

At that thought, the faint smile that had been playing on her lips faded and her hand trailed downwards before coming to rest on his chest, palm gently pressed against his beating heart.

Her stubbornness had almost cost him his life. Among her many regrets, that was the one she was sure would haunt her until the day her own life came to an end.

“It was not your fault.”

The murmured and unexpected statement startled her to such an extent that she instinctively pulled her hand back and tried to put some distance between them. However, her efforts were thwarted by the arm around her waist which tightened its hold and kept her from going anywhere.

“It was not your fault,” he repeated, his voice rough with sleep and his now open blue-grey eyes half-lidded. “You should stop blaming yourself for what happened.”

“How was it not my fault?” she demanded to know harshly as fresh tears pricked at her eyes. “If I had not been so foolish as to run off that night, you would not have chased after me and gotten hurt as a result.”

“Fal Haujs would have found some other way to try and assassinate me,” he pointed out gently. “I could have been alone then. I could have died. But I was not. You were there and according to the healers, your quick actions saved my life. That, I think, should be more than enough 'atonement' for whatever part you believe you played in the situation.”

His willingness to forgive her so easily only made the guilt gnawing away at her grow. “It does not feel like enough.”

He gave her a look that was part curiosity and part something else she could not quite identify. “So you feel you must do more in order for you to be completely absolved?”

“...You sound as if you have a suggestion in mind,” she responded with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.

The twitch of his lips and the mischievous glint in his eyes gave him away before he could even speak. “Perhaps you could consider agreeing to be my mate again?”

A soft incredulous laugh escaped her as her own lips curved to form a bemused smile and her sombre mood lifted at least for the moment. “That does not quite sound like an avenue of seeking penance.”

“Well, you _did_ seem rather reluctant to commit to it the first time,” he noted rather mirthfully.

Although she knew that he meant it in jest, his observation caused her smile to fade and her guilt to make its return. So he had noticed. It made sense; she had made little effort to hide it after all. “...You never asked why I still agreed to it.”

His own grin vanished, much to her regret. “I thought it ill-advised to question such a fortuitous occurrence. At the very least, I believed I could convince you to accept it wholeheartedly over time. And I thought I had... up until that day.”

“You did,” she insisted with quiet fierceness. “You had. And what happened that day... I overreacted, and for that I apologise. I should have been more willing to listen to you. No, stop.” She pressed the tips of her fingers against his lips before he could say anything. “You have apologised enough since then and I forgive you; it is my turn to ask for your forgiveness.”

“I forgive you,” he replied all too quickly.

“Thank you.” She drew a deep breath and gathered the courage for her next confession. “My people believe that Yuda chooses our mates for us the moment we are born. Sur Diel determined based on our duel that you were the one the goddess had chosen for me and told me as such. While I did not wish to believe it at first, I could not openly defy her and chose to go along with it in the hope of finding proof that she was wrong. Except the more time I spent with you, the more I slowly became convinced that she was correct. Only my stubbornness prevented me from admitting it outright. But I accept it now,” she finished, her voice full of conviction. “You are undeniably the mate Yuda chose for me, and for that I could not be more grateful.”

Joy and wonder all but shone from his features. “...As am I,” he whispered, his voice rough with emotion.

Even if she wanted to, she thought she could not suppress the smile blooming on her face. “Then it is decided,” she murmured as she leaned in for a kiss-

A noise outside shattered the moment, and Lind-Rel jerked away and turned towards the entrance of her tent just in time to see the tent flap part to reveal none other than Tophar Keln.

“Ah, excellent,” the seer said, a pleased tone in his voice as he took in the sight of them in bed together and clearly undressed under the blanket. “I see I no longer have to worry about a lack of heirs to the throne. Do not mind me and carry on.”

Then he departed just as suddenly as he had appeared, but before the tent flap could close completely she caught the faint sound of Ben-Sul wailing in anguish about something or other.

For an inordinate amount of time, all she could do was stare blankly at the spot where Tophar Keln had just been standing. Beside her, Vell closed his eyes and began shaking with suppressed laughter.

“Is... Is that going to be a regular occurrence moving forward?” she asked with a mixture of incredulity and dread.

Her question only caused him to give up his futile efforts and laugh out loud. “It is quite possible,” he acknowledged between bouts of laughter.

She turned to give him a half-hearted glare but the sight of him so full of life and joy made it impossible to stay annoyed at him. “...I suppose I will just have to get used to it then,” she sighed with mock resignation.

“You would have my eternal gratitude if you did so,” he responded with solemnity that similarly rang false.

Rolling her eyes, she nevertheless leaned in to finish what she had been meaning to do before she had been interrupted but pulled away before the kiss could get more heated. “I will hold you to that. Now, as much as I am sure you would like to follow Tophar Keln's suggestion, I would rather we get dressed and leave my tent. The last thing I want is for even Ben-Sul to come barging in as well to confirm for himself that I have not murdered you in your sleep.”

He pouted pitifully at her in a silent attempt to convince her to change her mind but she merely rolled her eyes again and playfully shoved him out of bed. The pout on his face turned into a wounded look that she pointedly ignored just as she ignored the way she could feel his eyes on her as she dressed. It took throwing his own clothes at him to make him stop although he did give her one last wounded look before he obeyed. Then it was her turn to watch him dress... and her gaze naturally fell on the slightly jagged line on his back.

Before she was aware of it, her fingers were tracing the scar and he stilled at her touch. “Swear to me,” she whispered. “Swear to me that this is the last time you will come so close to death while I still draw breath.”

“I swear.” He turned to regard her with a gaze that burned with a fire that rivalled that of Rao's glorious light. “I swear in the name of all the gods that death will only come for me in the guise of old age and nothing else. You have my word.”

“Good. Then I will take that very same oath.” She bent down to pick up the skeerskin pouch she had dropped sometime during their short journey from the entrance of her tent to her bed and handed it to him. (In hindsight, it was a miracle they had managed to enter the tent and not accidentally toppled it in their haste to get inside.) “Would you like to do the honours?”

“It would be my pleasure.” Ever so carefully, Vell withdrew the bracelet from its pouch and slipped it around her left wrist where it belonged before pressing a soft kiss to her palm. “Thank you for accepting this.”

Lind-Rel shook her head and gave him an equally soft smile. “No, it is I who should thank you for giving it.” Just as he began protesting, she stepped closer and silenced him with a kiss to his lips. “Before you think about arguing with me on this, I would like to suggest that we get going as I believe we have a latching ceremony to plan and attend.”

The joy on his face was immeasurable. “After you.”

Despite his words, they exited the tent together, and it was a bright day and a bright future that greeted them outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And they went on to create Sard's first kingdom, have lots of beautiful babies and live happily together until they passed away from old age. So I guess this is "The Beginning" instead of "The End"?
> 
> Anyway, that's the end of the story of Vell Or and Lind-Rel! I hope you've enjoyed the ride; the next time you see anything from me, it'll be the beginning of Arc 4 (at long last, haha)! See you then!


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